The Lie That Stayed
by CammieAMorgan
Summary: Dealing with the aftermath of The Lie That Got Away was hard for everyone. Especially when it's time to go back to school and Blackthorne have another exchange. But what happens when old faces reveal new secrets; as well as new faces causing trouble for the gang. Cammie's world gets turned around when she tries to understand the lie that stayed a secret for most of her life. Sequel
1. Expanding The Opportunities

**Dealing with the aftermath of The Lie That Got Away was hard for everyone. Especially when it's time to go back to school and Blackthorne have another exchange. But what happens when old faces reveal new secrets; as well as new faces causing trouble for the gang. Cammie's world gets turned around when she tries to understand the lie that stayed a secret for most of her life.**

 **Make sure you read _The Lie That Got Away_ before reading this story. You don't have to but it'll help you understand some of the characters and parts of the plot. **

* * *

**Chapter 1 Expanding the Opportunities**

 **Cammie POV**

After the recent summer, everyone's been different. Of course there was an investigation, of course I had to answer some questions, of course my family lied for me. And nothing will be the same again. We're back at school for an extra college year that was introduced at Gallagher, my mom said it was _to expand the opportunities a spy could face_...but I think she didn't want me to leave yet. Going back into my old dorm room with my three best friends felt strange and exciting, it feels like yesterday we were saying goodbye to this room and now we're back for one final year.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror; I wasn't looking at the new uniform that draped across my body, nor the makeup and hair Macey perfectly did for me...I was looking at the new scars that cover my arms, and one poking out at the bottom of my skirt that trails up my leg. This summer was different. This summer was scary. This summer changed those I love the most. This summer changed me. I traced my arms across the new additions to my collection, with very touch Jason's laugh and smile bore into me. How could such a sweet kid end up so messed up? Is that a question directed at Jason or me… I look up and stare into my eyes, I glance in the mirror and see Bex giving me a weak smile.

'Breakfast is ready' She directed me towards the door. I let her lead me as we walked down the corridors and down the stairs to the grand hall. Along the way there were Gallagher girls of all different ages passing through, some said hello, some looked at us in amazement, some made whispering comments ' _that's her_ ' one of the girls said. I didn't have to look to know they were talking about me. For once the sign above the door read **English** this only happens when we have guests arriving. I looked to the side at Bex, she had the same mischievous smile as me. We linked arms and walked in, past the teachers and past the lower years towards Macey and Liz seated at a long table with my year group, turns out a lot of the girls loved the idea of an extra year, we all enrolled without question. I sat down next to Liz opposite Macey and Bex.

'So, Cammie, how was your summer?' Tina Walters launched the question at me

'Fine. How was yours?' I asked

'Just fine' She raised her eyebrows at me and leaned in 'I hear that you spent your whole summer with Zachary Goode'

'Your point is?' I asked her, elongating the question

'I _also_ heard that you were one of the last people to see Jason Karlton before he disappeared'

'That's enough Tina' Bex snapped on my behalf. This only increased Tina's interest

'So you did know him?'

'We were childhood friends Tina' I took a sip of orange juice 'I haven't seen him in years'

'Oh yes, I remember the whole _Penny situation_ ' I slammed my drink down on the table causing it to splash and everyone on the table stare at me

'What do you think you're talking about?' Venom seeped through my voice.

'Just the case that's all' Tina's voice shook slightly, she didn't expect me to snap

'I'm sorry' I said quickly. Tina mumbled a yes but left it. I turned to the teacher's table and saw my mom, Joe and Abby all staring at me. I gulped and shifted my gaze back to my food. I tried to concentrate on eating, engage in the conversations but I knew my family had seen my outburst, I knew that they were going to keep an eye on me.

'Miss Morgan' Joe said, I looked up and he was standing over me. 'May I have a word?' He gestured to leave the room. I nodded and proceeded to leave with him. Joe was in teacher mode. When we were out of earshot from the other students he turned to me.

'Cameron-'

'It wasn't my fault! Tina doesn't have the clearance to know abou-'

'I'm not going to talk about that...yet' He gave a little smirk

'So why'd you need to talk to me?' I asked, Joe looked over his shoulder and around.

'I need you to keep your eyes vigilant when our guests arrive'

'Guests?' I arched my eyebrow, Joe smirked

'You need to promise me that if I give you an order, you will follow it without question'

'Joe…'

'This is very important Cammie, think of this as a mission, you can't let your personal feelings affect this mission. Do you accept?'

'I do' I answered quickly, excitement bubbling inside of me. Joe nodded, I began to move but Joe cleared his throat, I spun on my heels to face him

'You can't tell anyone Cam' His tone was slightly harder. I nodded and walked back into the hall where Macey ushered me over.

'What did Joe want to talk to you about?'

'He just wanted to check that I was okay, that's all'

'Aww, that's sweet' Macey cooed just as my mother took to the podium.

'Hello girls, and welcome back to another year at Gallagher. There have been several changes this year, as you can see we have an extra year with Gallagher, the opportunities at this school are different from the other schools with similar specialties; therefore this college year' My mom looked at our table 'please help me in giving a hand in welcoming the college year group from the Blackthorne Institute' My eyes widened as I looked at my friends; they had the same expression as me, shock. The boys were coming. Our boys were coming. I felt anger in the pit of my stomach, did my mother add an extra year and allow the boys here to keep an eye on me? And what does Joe's mission mean for me? I stare at the door as the boys wonder in casually. A lot of the girls on my table began to mutter. I scanned the group looking for the boy I saw only a few weeks ago. I locked eyes with Zach's striking eyes from across the room, my pulse began to race.

'Gentlemen if you would like to sit down you'll be allocated a guide soon' She gestured to the table we were sitting on where the far end was completely empty. The boys past the buzz of whispers that the girls were having. Zach gave me his famous smirk before coming to sit next to me, the touch of his skin sent shivers down my spine.

'Missed me Gallagher girl' He whispered in my ear before placing a small kiss on my cheek and putting his hand on the small of my back. I tried to hide my blush but considering the smirk that grew on Zach's face, he could tell I missed him.


	2. Blackthorne Buddies

**Cammie POV**

After we all had breakfast, the younger years were told to go to their first lessons whist Joe and Abby walked over to us.

'Right, some of you have been here before, some of you haven't. We're buddying you up based on your abilities in the field. Understand?' Joe's voice boomed across the hall, Zach moved his hand slightly as if telling me that we were going to be partners. Abby clapped her hands together.

'Brilliant. When your name is called find a space on any table and sit opposite your partner, no talking. Wait for further instructions' Abby began to reel off the names of Gallagher Girls and Blackthorne Boys. The table thinned out slowly. Leaving 10 of us on the table (Tina, Macey, Liz, Bex, Myself, Zach, Grant, Nick, Jonas and some other boy). I looked at everyone on the table, I looked at Joe, his expression unreadable.

'Okay, next is Elizabeth and Jonas' The pair got up and immediately went to the same table 'Tina and Nicholas' I looked at Macey and she looked at Nick who gave her a reassuring smile. This was strange. 'Macey and Grant' Bex looked at Macey and then looked at me. I looked at Zach, he had his mask on...his jaw set firm. I looked over at Joe who was staring at me, he gave a slight nod. I knew what was going to happen. 'Rebecca and Zachary' Zach snapped his head to Joe trying to read his face.

'Go' I whispered. Zach looked at me, he had a funny look in his eyes...anger? Jealousy? Confusion?

'Mr Goode…' Joe warned. Zach got up and moved with Bex to a different table.

'And that leaves Cameron and Connor' Abby smiled. I looked at Joe and he gave a small wink. I diverted my attention down the bench and saw a _very_ muscled and _slightly_ sexy boy looking at me. He had dark hair that was short on the side and long on the top. His eyes were a perfect shade of hazel with specks of green in them. I gave him a smile, he flashed me a smile and slid across the bench to sit in front of me. Abby clapped her hands together 'Now that everyone's sorted, introduce yourselves and your codename'

I looked at the boy and he nodded for me to go first

'I'm Cameron Morgan, also known as Chameleon' I produced my hand across the table, Connor shook my hand

'Nice to meet you Cameron; I'm Connor Embers also known as Polar'

'Why polar?' I asked. He shrugged his shoulders.

'I like to be outside a lot' He smiled again 'Why are you Chameleon?'

'I'm a pavement artist. I blend in' I answered proudly. He gave a small chuckle 'What's so funny?'

'You were the first person I saw when I walked in' He gave me a cheesy grin; I felt a blush creep up my neck, I looked over at the other tables, Zach was staring at me. I bit my lip and looked over at Joe. He had noticed and cleared his throat, everyone looked at him.

'Now that we've done our introductions...you're year will be divided into two. Half of you will have covops with myself, the other half with Miss Cameron. Got it? Good. Everyone's dismissed. You have free time for the rest of the day; timetables will be issued at dinner and lessons begin tomorrow. Make sure your buddy knows where everything is girls, set an example for the school That's all' Joe gave me one last quick glance and left the hall. I stood up and looked at Connor.

'Do you know your way around?' I asked

'Yeah, I'm sharing with Nick and some of the boys, thanks'

'No worries' I began to move away

'Actually Cameron' I turned to see Connor about to reach my hand but decided against in

'Yeah?'

'Do you know where there's a gym around here? It helps me relax'

'We have the P&E barn but it's getting used for lessons right now. I could always take you after'

'Would you?'

'Yeah, I need to get back into training' I smiled

'Wow Thanks Cameron' He smiled

'Call me Cammie'

'Thanks Cammie' I felt a shadow grow behind me, Connor's gaze glanced up and then back at me.

'I'll see you later' I said as I was being pulled out of the hall. Connor gave me a small wave as I left the hall. As soon as we were far enough I got free from the people who had dragged me outside, i turned to face Macey and Bex.

'Why did you do that?' Annoyance thick in my voice

'We were asked to' Macey simply said, I felt arms snake around my waist. I flipped Zach (something he didn't expect) and he hit the floor.

'What the hell Cam?' He asked getting back up

'What's wrong with you Zach?' I asked him

'So I'm not allowed to hug my girlfriend anymore' He raised his hands in defeat

'Not that' I spat 'Why did you take me away from Connor?' He shrugged his shoulders. I snorted 'You don't know?' I rolled my eyes and began to walk off.

'Cam wait' He called after me

'Just leave me alone' I called back

'What? What have I done wrong?' I stopped and spun around, anger bubbling inside me, I opened my mouth to speak, but I was stopped by the sudden realisation that everyone was looking, everyone was watching. I rolled my eyes and continued walking in the direction I was going and slid into a passageway that led to the other side of the house. I continued walking listening to the thump my feet made on the ground. I didn't realise the tears that were streaming down my face. I stopped and lent against the wall, trying to stop the tears. I hadn't taken much notice of my surroundings. The tunnel was cold and dark. I slid down the wall and sat there listening to the pitter-patter of feet from the floorboards above. I closed my eyes and listened to my heart rate, it seemed too fast. I took deep breaths to try and calm down. Someone must have dropped something upstairs but my eyes bulged open and my legs began to move further down the corridor. Some girls must have been giggling but it scared me. It sounded like the scream that drifted through the fields in Nebraska. What ever they dropped sounded like gunfire. I knew that the chapter of my life involving the gun, the shot and the scream was over. My heart just kept beating faster and faster as I ran down the tunnels. I was having a panic attack...and I couldn't stop. I tripped and scraped my knee against the stone floor. I stayed down there, cold radiating across my body, sweat forming on my forehead and back. I don't know how but I thumbled and got my phone out, I dialed a number.

 **Soloman**

 _Joe_ I croaked

 **Cammie? What happened?**

 _Penny_ I whispered

 **Where are you?**

 _In a tunnel somewhere_

 **I'm coming to get you, stay on the line Cam** Joe's voice became fuzzy as I dipped into unconsciousness.

 **Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying this new story, I've been keeping this hidden for a while and I'm so glad that I can share this with you! This will be an everyday upload till Next Wednesday and then it'll be a once a week upload! Hope you enjoyed this chapter xxx**

 **LoveToDream: I'm glad that you loved the first in this series, and I hope you enjoy this one as much xxx**

 **Curious: This will be a daily upload and then turn into a once a week. This story is a sequel to _The Lie That Got Away_ so if you haven't read that, have a look xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: Of course I missed you! I'm glad that your enjoy this story and hope that everything is good with your life. I look forward to hearing your reaction to this story xxx**

 **LJ: I'm glad you enjoy it xxx**


	3. Covered In Cobwebs

**Cammie POV**

I fluttered my eyelids open and realised I was in my mother's office. I looked up at the high wooden beams, the smell of vanilla, old books and leather filled my nostrils. I turned my head and saw my mom and Joe sitting at her desk.

'How are you feeling kiddo?' My mom gave me a smile

'What happened?' I asked trying to sit up. Joe and mom rushed over to me to support me as I was overcome with a headache. I sucked in a breath through my teeth.

'I found you in a tunnel Cameron. You mentioned Penny' Worry was in his voice and face

'I...I had a panic attack...I thought-'

'It's okay kiddo' My mom soothed

'People were talking about it earlier' I snapped, tears springing to my eyes. My mom placed a hand on my shoulder

'People are bound to talk, we just have to stick to the story'

'I NEVER WANTED YOU TO LIE FOR ME!' I shouted standing up from the sofa and pacing to the other side of the room

'We do a lot for each other Cam, that's what families do'

'Then tell me why you want me to watch Connor? Why am I buddied with him and not Zach? The others all know something's suspicious'

'Connor was Jason's friend at Edgemount' Joe stated. I began to laugh

'And you want me to spy on him?'

'We need to know if he knows anything' My mom said sweetly

'Because if he does he's a danger' Joe finished

'Great' I huffed.

'Connor's had a hard time like yourself'

'What's that supposed to mean?' I snapped. My parents shared a look

'That's something only he can tell you' Joe gave a smirk, I rolled my eyes.

'What's the time?' I asked looking out the window and realising the sun was setting

'Evening, everyone's had dinner already. Would you like me to ring chef?' My mom stood up

'No it's okay' I began to walk to the door

'What happened with you and Zach? He looked troubled' Joe asked. I shrugged my shoulders as I opened the door

'We've just had a misunderstanding' I smiled at them as I disappeared out of the door. I walked along the corridor and back to my room, instantly I was lept upon by my friends.

'Where did you go? Why weren't you at dinner? Why are you covered in cobwebs?' They all stared at me, arms crossed and hips cocked.

'I went into the tunnel, I stayed with my mom all day' I answered honestly, techniquely that's what happened. They seemed to accept my answer but not satisfied completely. I moved past them, went to my wardrobe and got out my workout gear.

'What are you going to do?' Bex asked plopping down on her bed

'I promised Connor I'd take him to the P&E barn' I said doing up my laces

'It's funny how _you_ got paired with Connor' Bex sung whist fiddling with her necklace

'He seems more suited to be partnered with Tina' Macey quipped whist brushing her hair

'He got the highest in some of the tests, that's all I know' I answered defensively whist making my way to the door

'See you in a while Cam' Bex waved sarcastically at me. They suspect something. I shrugged the feeling off and made my way to the East Wing where the boys were staying. I knew which room they would have been in and I knocked lightly on the door. It opened and revealed a surprised Grant.

'Hey Cam!' He smiled 'Where were you at dinner?'

'I was with my mom' I said making my tone as casual as possible

'Oh okay' He looked over his shoulder 'So...are you here to speak to Zach?'

'Actually I'm here for Connor' I heard someone in the background choke on their drink, I smiled a little bit

'Connor?' Grant asked looking back over his shoulder

'Yeah' I smiled as Grant opened the door wider. Everyone was sitting on their beds, but I couldn't see Connor. Jonas was typing on his computer and seemed oblivious to me being there whilst Nick was trying to clean up the water he had spilt on the floor. Zach sat on his bed reading one of the textbooks, his hands gripping it so tightly that his knuckles were white, his jaw set firm but I couldn't see his eyes. Grant moved past me and knocked on the bathroom door.

'Embers you've got a guest' He shouted. The shower turned off, I felt my cheeks go slightly red. After a few minutes of silence Connor came out of the bathroom with a towel draped across his middle, I felt my eyes widen as I looked at his chizzled chest glistening with water, his hair damp across his face making his eyes stand out more, when he saw me he smiled.

'Hey Cam'

'Hey, um..is this a bad time or-'

'No just give me a few minutes then I'll be ready' I nodded and made my way to wait outside.

'Come on Cam, there's no awkwardness with us' Grant put his arm on my shoulder pulling me back into the room and making me sit on his bed

'Grant…' I moaned

'Where are you both going?' He smiled gleefully at me, he loved what this was doing to Zach

'Out' I said defiantly, trying not to look around the room

'Ohhhhh, where abouts?' Grant put his hand on his chin, a smile growing wider on his face. I laughed and playfully slapped his arm

'You sound like the girls' I rolled my eyes

'Do they know where you are?' He raised his eyebrows

'Yes' I whined 'Connor are you ready yet?' I called

'Yep' I turned around and he was wearing some plain black shorts with a white sports shirt. He smiled at me, I smiled back

'Okay then let's go' we moved to the door 'Bye guys' I waved at all of them

'Bye' Everyone said apart from Zach, he didn't look away from his book.

 **Author's note: DAILY UPLOAD CONTINUES! Hope you all like this chapter, what's the secret Connor's hiding? Will Cam and Zach be back to normal? Find out tomorrow xxx**


	4. Punching Bag

**Cammie POV**

'What do you think that was all about?' Connor whispered when we were further along the corridor.

'Zach and me are kind of…' I let the sentence trail

'I get it' He smiled at me, I smiled back 'Where were you at dinner?'

'I was with my mom' I answered racing down the stairs

'You're mom works here?' I chuckled

'She's the headmistress' I laughed as the cool air hit my body

'Oh' Connor looked nervous

'Don't worry' I waved it away. 'Race ya' I called as I ran off into the darkness

'NOT FAIR' Connor shouted from behind. I pumped my legs faster, I could feel movement behind me. I kept running until I got to the P&E barn. I spun around and Connor nearly ran into me. But he didn't. He placed his arms either side of my head keeping him from hitting the wall. He was panting like me. We stared into each other's eyes not saying anything for a moment.

'Cam-' he began

'We should really get started' I ducked under his arms and made my way inside immediately going for the punching bag in the corner. I've spent many nights here punching, screaming, crying, thinking, sleeping. I begin to punch the bag, adding in a few high kicks every now and again. I get into a rhythm, lost in my own world when Connor mentions the unmentionable.

'You knew Jason?' He asked doing sit ups on the floor, I tried not to look at him, but whenever he sat up, I could feel his gaze burning into me

'We were friends' I responded, my punches becoming heavier

'He mentioned you a lot' I stopped punching

'He never mentioned you' It came out harsher than I meant it 'I'm sorry. That was rude of me' I apologised

'It's okay' He gave me a small smile 'It's just that I didn't see you at the funeral' I bit my lip and looked down

'I was on a mission' I lied returning to the punches

'I understand' I could feel him looking at me for a moment before returning to do his sit ups. I bit my lip again, knowing that I had to ask about Jason. A conversation I wanted to avoid.

'How did you know him?' I asked

'Edgemount. We were in the same classes'

'Were you close?' I began to interrogate

'He was like a brother to me' I stopped punching again

'I'm sorry' I whispered not looking at him. Because I genuinely _did_ feel sorry for him. Jason was a good kid...before he wasn't.

'He's in a better place now' I honestly feel disgusted with that line. How could you justify someone being in a better place? How do people _know_ that they're in a better place? They don't. People get buried in a box in the ground. It's nothing exciting like a time capsule, it's just being buried in clothes that you wore a few times and people complimented you saying you looked nice in them, or it's new and you're family thought you'd appreciate it. I've heard that line over and over again when my dad was gone. A better place. Sure death is better than being tortured for information he was never going to give them; but wouldn't a better place for him be with me? Being with his family, watching his family grow! Am I being selfish? Yes, but I'm a girl that lost her dad too soon. I have a right to be selfish.

'Cam?' Connor's voice slashes through my thoughts

'Yeah?' my voice broke

'You're crying' He stated. Worry in his voice. I lift my hand up and wipe away the tears. I snuffled. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing' I began to punch the bag again. Connor grabbed my wrist

'What's _really_ wrong?' His gaze burned into mine

'I miss my dad' I felt myself sink to the ground 'I miss him a lot. After he left everything went wrong' I began to pour my heart and mind out, telling Connor things I hadn't told anyone 'I don't have many clear memories of him anymore. His face blurs into the next' I swallowed 'He said he'd always protect me and he lied' Anger bubbled in me as hot tears stung my face. Connor looked at me with worry. 'I need Zach' I whispered, my eyes feeling heavy and dropping closed.

'I'll get you too him' Connor soothed as I drifted asleep.

 **Zach POV**

I couldn't believe that Cammie had come here to see Connor and not even say hi to me I hadn't seen her at dinner, everyone was worried about her, I was worried. We had asked Joe but he brushed it off saying that she was 'fine', Cammie has never been just 'fine'. When she came into the room, she had panic in her eyes. Fear. She was scared of something but put up her wall and wasn't going to let anyone in. There was a knock on the door. Grant got up to open it.

'What the-' all of a sudden Connor came into the room carrying Cammie in his arms, she had been crying, he looked at me with sadness

'She was missing her dad. She wanted you' I got off of my bed and took Cammie out of his grasp. I soothed her, stroking her hair, wiping away the few stray tears that lingured near her eyes.

'We'll leave you alone' Grant ushered everyone out leaving me and Cam alone. I laid Cammie down on my bed, I moved in next to her keeping my arm across her middle. She riggled under me and turned to face me. Her eyes opened a little.

'Hey' She whispered

'Hey' I smirked

'I'm sorry'

'Sorry for what?'

'The way I treated you earlier...I shouldn't have snapped'

'It's fine Gallagher girl' I pushed some fallen hairs out of her face. 'Why were you crying earlier?'

'We talked about Jason….it got me thinking about my dad….and I miss him. A lot'

'He's-'

'Don't finish that sentence' She snapped. I gave a small chuckle giving her a light kiss.

'He's proud of you Cam' My tone was serious

'Thanks' Her voice cracked slightly

'Why did you want me Gallagher girl?' I asked, I felt her shrug her shoulders

'You understand me. You make me feel calm. I can think more when I'm around you'

'Aww I'm touched' She rolled her eyes

'Get over yourself Blackthorne boy' She playfully shoved me, she left her hands on my chest. We must have stayed on my bed for a good hour or so, just talking about anything, Cam being her usual self was trying to get me to open up about my past. But as always, I shut it away under lock and key 'I think I need to get back' She began to move

'I'll see you tomorrow' I placed a kiss on her forehead before she left and shut the door behind her.

 **Author's note: So Connor's finally asking about Jason, and Cam went back to thinking about her dad. Zammie seems to be back on track, but will it stay that way? Did Connor and Cammie share a moment during their race? Will Zammie triumph? Or will someone or something come between them? Find out a little more tomorrow xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: They're back to normal for now...but I can already say that shit hits the fan with Zammie in chapter 12 (Yes I've written that far ahead!), but it won't be their relationship that's getting tested in the next few chapters, but a mysterious figure from the past coming back to cause trouble! who do you think it is? xxx**

 **LJ: Zach is just bae all the time xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Everyday upload till Wednesday xxx**


	5. We Can't Say

**Cammie POV**

Something changed in the school overnight. The peace that filled the halls were interrupted when the board decided to visit. They never visit unless it's important; the last time they came was after _that_ summer and they thought I was a risk. When me and Zach listened from a passageway...when I wasn't invited. This time was different. I was woken in the middle of the night by Joe. He stayed silent getting me to get dressed and follow him. I slipped into my school uniform creeping outside and following my step-dad along the corridor. Joe marched along without saying a word. When we walked past the grand staircase I realised who the guests were. I took a deep breath.

'They requested to see you Cameron' Joe turned to me, his eyes full of sorrow

'What's happened?' I choked, wondering if they were going to ask about Jason

'We don't know' Joe stepped closer 'but if it's what we both are thinking...stick to the story' He whispered. _Stick to the story_ echoed around my mind. I gave a small nod and followed him into my mother's study where they were already waiting. The man and the woman stood for me and shook my hand.

'I know this is inconvenient Miss Morgan, but we needed to speak to you urgently'

'Why?' I asked taking a seat opposite them

'Would you like this conversation to be private or between the people in this room?' The woman gestured to Joe and my mom

'This room' I answered immediately. The woman gave me a small smile

'We have sufficient evidence to justify taking you into protection'

'Excuse me?' Me, my mom and Joe said together. This wasn't what _any_ of us were thinking this conversation was going to be about.

'Miss Morgan needs to be under protection'

'Gallagher is one of the safest places in the world. I'm not leaving' I snapped

'What could the possible threat be?' My mom inquired. The two board members shared a look

'If it concerns my safely, I'd like to know'

'We can't' the man said

'Can't or won't?' Joe asked

'Both. The board feels it's best if Cameron doesn't find out' the man said

'We don't want her to worry' the woman added quickly glaring at her partner.

'You think that I'd want to find them before they find me…' I whispered staring at the woman. She looked at her partner and then back at me.

'We're more concerned that they already _know_ that you're here…' I looked at my mom and Joe. They were both worried.

'How bad is the threat?' Joe asked

'It's unclear whether or not the threat is big _at this moment_ , but we do believe that the threat has significant interest in Cameron'

'Who?' I asked once more

' _We can't say_ ' the man gritted his teeth

'If you won't tell me, then I'm not going' I channeled my inner Macey, I crossed my arms and rested back in my chair. I was playing hard to get. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw Joe holding in a smirk. The two looked at each other and then back at me.

'Whatever we tell you, it must not leave this room. _No one_ is allowed to know. Understand?'

'I understand' my heart feeling heavier with anticipation

'The threat is-'

 **Zach POV**

I walked in slightly late for breakfast after going to the P&E barn for a morning workout. I expected everyone to be eating breakfast or the Headmistress giving her morning speech...but today was different. Everyone was eating and whispering when I walked in. I looked at the teacher's table and realised that Joe and Rachel weren't there. Strange. I continued walking to the far table where my year sat.

'Where's Cam?' I asked

'I thought she was with you' Bex said

'She wasn't in our dorm when we woke up' Macey said. I immediately turned my attention to Connor. He held his hands up.

'I haven't seen her'

'QUIET PLEASE' Mrs Buckingham said from the podium. 'Headmistress Morgan is occupied this morning' I looked at the others 'So I'll be delivering the morning announcements' She began to read off the menu for tonight, the classes that were going to be changed etc.

'Do you think she's occupied with Cam?'

'I don't know…' Bex's sentence trailed off as she looked past me to the door. I followed her gaze and saw Cam walking into the hall with Joe. Cam kept her head down and walked past everyone. She wasn't acting normal. She got her breakfast from the buffet, all the while I was watching her. She came and sat at the edge of the table.

'Morning' She said flashing a quick smile

'Where were you?' Bex nudged her

'With Joe' She stated

'Talking about what?' Macey prompted.

'Stuff' Cammie snapped. I looked over at Bex. She had the same look as me. Worry. We decided to drop the conversation and finish our breakfast. Bex's eyes widened when she looked at the door.

'Why were the board here?' She hissed. Cammie froze for a moment. She just stared at her bowl.

'Gallagher Girl…' I asked, she looked up at me for the first time, her eyes were slightly puffy and glazed over. 'Was that why you were busy?' She nodded

'What did they ask?' Grant asked

'Stuff' Cammie responded, swirling her spoon around her bowl

'Jason stuff' Bex's voice was barely audible. The bell rung

'I've got to get to class' Cam leap out of her seat and dashed out of the hall. Joe's gaze had followed Cammie from the table and then out of the hall. I watched as his shoulders heaved before making his way out.

'Something _big_ happened'

'They must have asked about Jason'

'Poor Cammie' Liz muttered as we began to leave for class

'They clearly spooked her. She'd been crying' I said

'Why wasn't the headmistress-'

'Why wasn't the headmistress _what Rebecca_?' Rachel's voice boomed across the corridor, we turned to see her coming out of the Sub levels

'I was just wondering where you were this morning?'

'As you were informed this morning; I was occupied' She fixed her suit 'Now shouldn't you all be getting to class?' She raised her eyebrows

'Yes Miss' We all said heading off to our first lesson.

 **Author's note: Ohhhh so there was a threat to Cammie and her and Joe disappeared for a while, and she came back crying...so the real question is why? or Who? Let me know what you think! See you tomorrow xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: I love that fact! There definitely is a long list of people who want to kill Cam, you've definitely got the villians mixed up, Charlotte's from the 'know' series. xxx**

 **LJ: What did you think of this chapter? Who do you think is the threat and what will happen next? xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: I KNOW! xxx**


	6. Blue With White Stripes

**Zach POV**

Cammie was already sitting in class when we walked in, she was sitting in her usual seat reading one of the textbooks. She didn't look up when we came and sat around her, I slid the book for in front of her.

'Zach…' She moaned in frustration reaching for the book. I moved it out of her reach more.

'You're cute when you moan my name' I smirked, hoping for an eye roll or a blush. I got a glare. 'What's wrong Gallagher girl?' I looked at her in the eyes, she looked back at me 'What's wrong?' I asked again

'I can't say' She whispered

'So there is something?' I smirked at her. Cam looked at me with wide eyes and then turned back to the front of the class.

'Today we're looking at _ghosting_...can anyone tell me what that is?'

'It's where an agent does not contact anyone of asset' I informed

'Brilliant Mr Goode. What does _reality ghosting_ is?'

'It's where an agent forgets about their real life, they make a cover so deep that they begin to live that life daily' Cammie said monotone. She just stared at the blackboard in front of her.

'Excellent Cameron. Now…' The teacher continued her lesson and then the day went as a blur. Cam seemed distant throughout the day, she talked to all of us occasionally, but we always had to say her name a few times for her to snap out of whatever trance she was in. Then it came to the last lesson of the day before dinner, we had Covops with a guest lecturer...Joe was apparently busy with something… So our guest lecturer was Townsend. I haven't really spoken to my father about...us, we talk when we see each other and that's about it.

'Mr Soloman informed me that you all are virtually ready to be agents' He leant against the desk. 'Can anyone tell me how many Cameras there are in Roseville?'

'31' Cam said. Townsend nodded in agreement.

'How many traffic lights in Virginia itself'

'61' Cameron spoke up

'What about supermarkets?' Townsend looked at all of us. There was silence. 'You may need to know all about detection and how to avoid them...however you need to know about _neccessities_...where you can get food, drink, sleep...where to lose a tail'

'Over 40' Cam said.

'I don't follow Miss Morgan' Townsend looked at her confused

'There's over 40 supermarkets in Virginia' she shrugged 'you asked the question' she said dismissively

'Excellent. Now all of you close your eyes' We followed his order. 'Tina, how many lightbulbs are in this room'

'12' She answered

'Incorrect. There are 12 light _fixtures_ but not 12 _bulbs_. Miss Baxter?'

'24 bulbs. 2 in each fixture'

'Correct. How many pencils are in the pot on Soloman's desk, Mr Newman?'

'5' Grant's voice was unsure

'Correct. Who was the first person I looked at when I walked in. Open question to everyone.'

'You didn't look at anyone. You avoided eye contact' I answered

'Very good Zach. Now, what is the colour of my tie?'

'Blue with white strips' I opened my eyes to see Joe leaning against the doorway looking troubled. But Joe was hiding it...well.

'What can I do for you Soloman?'

'I need to see Cameron' I looked to my side to see Cam's jaw set firmly and tears in her eyes. Joe was staring at her and gave a small nod. Cam got up and left the classroom. I turned to Bex who was the other side of Cam.

'Trouble' Bex mouthed to me. I nodded. I couldn't concentrate on the rest of the lesson. I was too distracted thinking about what Cammie was hiding.

'Has anyone seen Cammie?' I asked sitting at the table with everyone else as Dinner was served.

'Haven't seen her or Joe' Grant answered

'They've gone somewhere' Macey said

'How do you know?'

'Some of her clothes are missing...and Abby's back' Bex answered nodding towards the door. I looked over my shoulder to see Abby and Rachel hugging.

'So her and Joe have gone somewhere?'

'The cabin?' Macey wondered

'He has supplies there, but he might have taken her out to calm her down...especially with how she reacted with the board being here'

'We should sneak out tonight. Go there just to make sure she's okay' Jonas suggested

'If we get caught, we're dead' the girls said together

'I'll be the distraction' Connor said

'I'll stay and help' Nick chimed in

'We all can't go' Macey threw her hands up

'Bex, Grant, Me and Macey will go. Liz and Jonas will monitor the situation from here. Nick and Connor will be the distractions/cover'

'We're actually doing this, aren't we?'

'Yep' Bex popped the p.

 ***** A few hours later *****

'ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US' Macey screamed at Bex who was driving

'Relax' Bex smirked as she took a sharp turn

'I'm driving back' Grant muttered

'There doesn't seem to be any heat signatures coming from the house' Jonas informed through the comms

'Copy that'

'We should leave the car and go by foot. Joe probably has trackers everywhere' I said.

'Okay then' Bex pulled over (quite agressively) ending up causing my head to slam into the window.

'Ow' I groaned

'Sorry' Bex said lightly before leaping out into the night.

'What's the plan?' Macey asked

'Infultrate' I muttered marching off into the darkness. It took a while for us to adjust to the darkness, finding our footing over the branches and the roots that littered the forest floor. Because it was downhill, we had lost our balance a few times but made it to the cabin. It was dark, it looked untouched.

'I don't think they came here' Bex said

'And if they did, they didn't stay long' Grant added. I went to the door and opened it in a specific way, the way Joe showed me that would disable the alarms, once I heard the click, I couldn't help but smirk. The door swung open slowly, I looked over my shoulder at the others, they nodded and we made our way inside. Macey flicked the light switch on. The bulb flickered to life giving a dim light over the room.

'They haven't been here' Bex said observing the dust that lightly covered every surface. 'No one's been here in a long time' She added

'I thought they would come here...she did when she left that summer'

'Exactly, _that summer_. Cam's a different person to back then. She thinks differently now'

'She's more cautious...she's more like a spy then we give her credit' Bex answered honestly

'So what do we do now?'

'You four will make your way back to Gallagher _this moment_ , or face _serious_ consequences' Rachel's voice filled our comms. And. She. Was. PISSED.

 **Author's note: Sorry for the short responses today, I have homework that needs to get done. See you tomorrow xxx**

 **blahblah: Jason and Toby are dead...or are they? xxx**

 **LJ: Connor is _definitely_ hiding something, but what? Thank you for loving it xxx**

 **Guest: Welcome to cliff hanger central, I have so many I've lost count! xxx**


	7. Leave It Alone

**Bex POV**

So we were screwed. The journey back from Joe's cabin was done in complete silence, nobody dared speak, we were all worried that Rachel was still listening. The walk back up the stairs and through the doors was _the most_ scared I've ever felt in this school. Rachel and Abby stood at the bottom of the grand stairs, both with arms folded sending us daggers. Nick, Connor, Liz and Jonas were all stood to the left looking ashamed of themselves.

'Will someone care to explain to me why you four left the school grounds in the middle of the night?' Rachel asked

'Fresh air' Macey answered

'Now is not the time for games Macey' Abby snapped

'Where's Cammie and Joe?' I asked

'You don't need to worry about that'

'Well we do considering that Cam looked as if she'd been crying' Zach interjected

' _And_ the board were here' I added. Rachel and Abby shared a look

'What did they ask about?' Liz asked

'What do you _think_ they asked about?' Abby pondered

'Jason?' Macey raised her eyebrows

'We can't discuss what they talked about' Rachel's firm voice sliced through any hope that we had

'What's Cam got to do with Jason?' Connor asked. I looked at Zach

'She was his friend' I answered

'So was I! Why didn't they want to talk to me?'

' _You're_ Jason's friend?' I asked astonished

'Yeah' Connor seemed a little uncomfortable and confused with my tone

'So that's why you were paired with Cam' I muttered but only Rachel heard, she snapped her gaze to me in anger

'Is she safe?' Zach asked diverting the conversation back to Cam

'She's protected' Abby answered

' _But is she safe_?' Zach asked again. Rachel took a deep breath

'Mr Goode. In our line of work, no one is safe, _this school_ is safe because it's _protected_. Cameron is protected therefore she is safe. What she is doing with Joe is no concern of yours. You need to get on with your further studies to enable success in this industry. Now, if I catch any of you leaving the school ground without permission _and_ breaking into buildings, you will all see the worst side that Gallagher offers' And with that, Rachel turned on her heels and down the corridor to the sub-levels. Abby stayed where she was but her gaze followed her sister, when Rachel had disappeared into the elevator, Abby turned back to us.

'This is the only thing I'm going to tell you and all of you need to listen; leave. It. alone'

'Leave what alone?'

'Cammie. She's safe, she's out of danger, she's…' Abby paused for a moment trying to figure out what to say 'she's figuring things out. Finding peace'

'Finding peace?'

'Just leave it at that. Now get to bed' We all nodded and climbed up the stairs. We went to bed like we were told to do...but I couldn't sleep. Cam was _finding peace_ , whatever that meant.

 ***** 3 weeks later *****

 **Zach POV**

I've found it hard to sleep recently, it's just the distraction that Cammie is out there doing who knows what. I keep thinking that she's on a mission with Joe...the other part of me thinks she's in trouble with the feds about Jason and Penny.

'Zach' Bex whispered across the breakfast table. I looked up and she nodded towards the door. I looked over my shoulder and saw Rachel and Abby rushing into the hallway towards two figures, One short and one tall. One male and one female. Joe and Cammie. I looked at the others and we smiled. I smirked at Bex, she smirked back and we leapt out of our seats racing to the door. I was beating Bex, I could see Cam hugging her mom as Joe was talking to Abby. I stopped short when I saw what Cam _actually looked like_ , her eyes were puffy like she'd been crying, she had deep purple bags under her eyes like she hasn't been asleep in days.

'CAM' Liz shouted excited. Liz hadn't realised that me, Bex and the others were standing by the door and keeping our distance from Cam. The adults and Cam clocked us. Abby gave us all a warning look, Rachel looked angry, Joe looked angry, Cam looked...her expression was unreadable.

'Hey everyone' She gave a weak smile

'We've missed you' Macey said stepping forward and giving Cam a small hug

'Same' She whispered

'You're very thin Cam' Bex frowned

Cam looked uncomfortable and quickly turned to her mom.

'I'm going to go and freshen up' She put a fake smile on her face. Her mother nodded, Cam looked at us quickly before moving up the grand staircase. I stole a glance at Bex, she was looking at me with the same eyes. Curiosity and Worry.

'It's good to have you back Joe' Macey piped up

'Yeah, I can't teach Covops like you' Abby said

'How was Townsend?' Joe asked directing the question to me

'Fine' I answered simply. Joe raised his eyebrows but didn't ask anything else. He turned to Rachel

'I think it's time we have a chat' Rachel nodded and they went off. Abby stood staring at us.

'Leave it alone' She whispered before following the others. As soon as they were gone, we all rushed up the stairs towards the girl's room. Bex was the first to burst through the door. On Cam's bed was her rucksack. The bathroom door was shut and the water was running. She must be having a shower.

'3 minutes tops' Mace whispered diving for Cam's bag

'You can't' Liz hissed

'Watch me' Macey muttered as she carefully pulled out the content of the bag. 'There isn't anything special, just clothes that she took, money, it's everything that she took that day'

'No notebook or anything?' I asked

'Nothing' Macey looked at Bex and then looked at the bathroom door. 'She never takes this long' she muttered heading for the door. Macey tapped on it. 'Cam?'

'Yeah?' Cam a weak reply

'Are you okay?' There was a long pause

'Can you get someone please?' Cam's voice cracked slightly. Macey looked back at us worried

'Why?'

'Mace can you just get my mom' Cam snapped.

'Okay Cam' She moved away from the door and signaled all of us to leave with her. She shut the door.

'She's crying' Bex stated

'I'll get her mom' Macey fluttered off down the corridor

'What do you think happened to her?' Grant asked

'Something she clearly didn't want to share' Bex ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes whilst leaning against the hall. We waited, then a large number of footsteps came along the corridor. All the adults were in tow. Rachel walked past us all and into the room with Joe. Abby lingered for a moment.

'It's best if you all go' She gave a sad smile

'Why?' Bex asked defensively.

'Because Cam's dealing with something _very big_ right now'

'Abby, please. If you tell us what then we can get out of the way' I pleaded. Abby looked into the room and then back at us biting her lip

'Let's just say that Nebraska was not the beginning and it isn't the end' She retreated back into the room and shut the door on us. We were silent whilst Cammie's wails and cries drifted from the closed door. She kept repeating 'He was meant to be dead'

 **Author's note: WHO WAS MEANT TO BE DEAD?! Cam and Joe went away for 3 weeks, but what or who happened? Next upload is Saturday, see you then xxx**

 **MM: I warned you about cliffhangers! And here's another one! :D xxx**

 **blahblah: Joe never worries, that's the worrying thing about it. Where do you think they went in those three weeks? xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: What are you predicting now? xxx**

 **LJ: Don't worry, this story will be uploaded on Saturday's now, maybe at some point there'll be another daily upload, you'll just have to wait and see xxx**


	8. Gallagher Girl

**Cam POV**

I spent many hours rocking to and fro on the floor of my bedroom, my mom's soothing words fluttered around the room, clashing with Joe and Abby debating about what they should do. _What should I do?_ My friends were told to leave and they did. I didn't want them to see me cry or the scratches that covered my body, the claw marks _I made_ to escape my own nightmares.

'They were right' I whispered turning to my mom

'Who kiddo?'

'The board. I should have just stayed away'

'We needed to see if it was true ourselves Cam' Joe crouched in front of me giving me a weak smile 'I never thought that we'd-'

'I don't want to talk about it' I snapped standing up and heading to the door

'They'll want to know. _Everyone_ will want to know' Joe's tone was harsh. I looked back at him and he was staring out the window, his hands clenched. Abby and mom were staring at him. I took a deep breath and left the room. The cold, crisp air was inviting, the silence was comforting. I moved along the corridors listening to the buzz of girls talking in their rooms, pencils scratching on paper, moves being perfected, girls being girls. I made my way to the top of the staircase, seeing sprinkles of light slice across the floor.

'It can never be the same' I muttered aloud. My voice echoing a little.

I made my way to the front steps of the building, the air settling in a pleasant chill. I sat on the steps counting the stars. Reflecting on where, when, and how everything went wrong. The smile on my face faded slightly, the air became thicker. 'Care to join me?' I muttered. Clearly the person behind me didn't realise that I was aware of their presence. After a moment they moved to sit next to me.

'What happened Cam?' Zach asked, his green eyes clouded with confusion. I kept my gaze on the sky.

'What do you mean?' I asked

'Who was meant to be dead?' I felt my body tense, my blood boiling.

'What are you talking about?' I whispered, feeling Zach's gaze burn into me

'We heard you in your room'

'We?'

'You know who Cam. We're worried about you' he placed his hand on top of mine, my skin burning under his touch. 'You're cold' he stated wrapping an arm around my shoulder, hugging me. I tensed at his touch, his hands hovering over the bruises and the cuts. Zach noticed this change in me. 'What happened?' His tone was harsh, I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, holding eye contact with him. I watched as his eyes moved from mine, to my lips and down to my arm covering in fresh slices, exposing bruised and scabbed skin. His eyes widened.

'They got worse Zach' my voice catching and tears forming 'they haven't stopped' immediately Zach engulped me in a hug, holding me close as if patching up the broken pieces.

'You're back now. You're safe here' he whispered. If only Zach knew the truth of why the board was here, where and why me and Joe left. I looked up at him, his eyes changed back to the amazing green I fell in love with. He smiled down at me, his eyes flickering to my lips. I gave him a small peck, but Zach turned it into a smooth kiss, his hands resting on my side. I was happy and safe...until I stopped. I stood up, looking around.

'Gallagher Girl' Zach groaned

'Shhh' I snapped. My eyes darting around the area

'What?' Zach asked standing next to me

'We aren't safe' I muttered, 2.03 seconds later, code black sounded. Zach pulled me back inside the building as the doors locked. The school sprung to life on this evening, girls rushing into the main hall, the grand staircase becoming a flood of girls. Zach and I flowed with the river of bodies. I stepped into the hall and saw my mom and Joe looking for me. Joe rushed over to me.

'Was this you?' He asked

'No' I breathed out 'You said I was safe'

'You knew this was a possibility' The lights began to dim as power was cutting out. 'Cameron…' Joe warned. I smiled at him as I backed away, running towards the doors as they begin to close.

'CAMERON' Joe's voice boomed, I glanced back to see him, Zach, mom, Abby and Bex running towards me. I have them a small wave from the other side of the door as they closed between us. The metal clicking into place. They can't get out, I can't get in. My breath was heavy. The alarms were still ringing and the lighting was slowly flickering out. There were faint mumbles and bangs from the other side of the metal door. I stepped back a few paces, my head becoming clearer the more I moved away. I stopped in the middle of the hall, where Zach dipped me in our first year.

'So you're alive' I whispered into the darkness

'So are you' a reply came. _Barely_ I thought.

'Why come back?'

'Why not?'

'You were meant to be dead'

'It was a lie'

'A lie that stayed a secret for too long!' Venom seeping in my voice

'Now, now Cameron-'

'Save it. You wanted to find me and you have' I turned to match a pair of striking eyes 'so let's get it over with'

 **Author's note: WHO IS THAT VOICE?! Zammie had a little moment, bless them, nothing is ever simple for them! But Cam's still broken, whatever or whoever she found has now come back, are the friend or foe? And will Cam be able to save herself before she breaks herself. See you next Saturday xxx**

 **LJ: Zach was the only person to find Cam, he always manages to find her, but can he save her this time? xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Thank you so much for loving this story, the following chapter takes a turn that I've never done before but I hope you love it! Find out what or who it is next Saturday xxx**


	9. Monsters Under The Bed

**Cam POV**

I extended my arms out to my side giving the man a few feet away from me a good look. The tears were falling freely now.

'You're a beautiful young woman Cameron' He whispered

'You missed so much dad' I choked. He ran towards me and engulfed me in a hug, I squeezed him tightly not believing what the board showed me. A survallience photo of my dad in Scotland with a woman. I knew it was him immediately, it was as if looking back in time, a photo that kept a memory lost long ago...but it wasn't, it was a photo taken 3 days before it was shown to me. The board were worried about my father coming back, to me, it was the best news I could hear! Matthew Morgan was back, I don't know why or how, I don't care right now. I enhaled the same scent that seemed lost in time. More tears fell. A slither of doubt crept along my spine, trying to pull me away.

'I've missed you too Cameron' He soothed. After a moment he held me at arm's length studying me. A smile creeping on his face. 'You look just like your mother'

'Why'd you go dad?' I asked 'I thought you were dead...I saw your grave...Catherine showed me!'

'You know Catherine?' Anger filled his voice

'She tortured me…' I pulled my arms up, showing the blending of old and new scars

'This shouldn't of happened' He muttered

'You should have come back' I snapped, feeling anger radiate throughout me. I stepped back, my shoes squeaking against the polished wooden floors.

'I tried to-'

'No you didn't' I tried to keep my voice level 'You started a new life, you forgot about me and mom'

'How could I ever forget about you!' He gestured wildly

'I don't know. But you did' I stepped back even further

'Cameron, please-'

'My friends will find a way out of the room in less than 5 minutes. I suggest you run now' I turned away from him, feeling as if my heart had been stabbed, the doubt was still covering my back.

'You have a sister' He said. My heart skipped a beat. 'Her name's Georgia. She's turning seven soon' He gave a small chuckle. I felt the tears begin to fall. 'I would love for you to meet her'

'Well I don't' I snapped 'I don't want to meet your fucking daughter who you _clearly_ love more than me'

'That's not true' He answered defensively. I spun around to face him with fury, I didn't care if he could see my tears, I couldn't believe he was the same father that left me all those years ago. I had right to doubt now.

'Oh really?' I took a determined step forward 'How many birthday's were you there for her? Were you there when she was born? Were you there when she took her first steps? Or when she spoke for the first time? Were you there to scare away the monsters under her bed like you did for me?' My voice caught on the end. I gestured around me 'Were you there when _I_ disabled my first bomb? OR completed my first fucking mission _in my first year_ causing the board to come and see me as a danger? Where were you when I was kidnapped or when I read your journal _trying to find you!_ ' My arms slumped to my side 'WHERE WERE YOU DAD?' I screamed at him. He stood there taking it all in, not a flicker of emotion on his face. My heart was slowly breaking just a little bit more; piece by piece.

We stood there standing at one another whists the alarms slowly turned off. The lights remained dimmed. The once beautiful night with moon rays dancing across the floor appeared cold and sharp, as if the slashes of light could cut us if they got any closer.

'You should go' I whispered, dropping my gaze to the shards of light tapping at my foot.

'You could come with me' He said. I smiled a little bit

'I'd rather be with people I know' I looked into his eyes, hurt clouded them

'I don't want to end on this' He whispered

'You're a decade to late dad' I gave a sad smile before turning away again. Studying the pattern on the wall. I waited 10 seconds before turning around. I see now why the board thought he was a danger, he was a danger to me, my health, my heart. You can see where I get my pavement artist skills from; he vanished. But he left a piece of paper. I walked over to it, there was a photo of me and dad, we were smiling, we were on a horse's back. I remember when this was taken, we were in Nebraska, I was scared to go on the horse myself, dad joined me to keep me safe. Mom took the photo. This was 5 months before he disappeared. The edges of the photo was frayed and torn. It seemed to have been in his wallet or pocket. I bend down to it, turned it over in my hands. _My number 1_ was scrawled across the bottom. I felt my tears fall again. The tears turned to anger, stinging my face. I crunched up the photo and threw it across the hall, screaming at it as I threw it. Screaming at my dad coming back. Screaming at the idea I have a sister. Screaming because so far she's had _my dad_. She's had a normal life, she's had a father. She's had more than me. I don't know her, but somehow...I hate her.

 **Author's note: So Cameron's father is alive? I know other stories have done similar things, but _trust me_ mine is something different an I hope that you all are excited to see what will happen. Next update is going to be Wednesday because obviously the Christmas holidays are coming up! Make sure you check my profile for update dates xxx**

 **Dancecohen: I hope Zammie works out as well. I upload this story on Saturdays usually but this week I'm also doing Wednesday because, you know, Chirstmas eve and all that. I'm from the UK so my times are GMT, so if your in a different time zone, it may seem that I'm uploading wrong, but I'm doing it from my own time, hope this helps! Thank you for your amazing comments, I love them! xxx**

 **LJ: I hope that _anyone_ can save same from her heartbreak, she isn't the same xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: You were right that Penny was her name, but she sadly _is dead_. Thank you for thinking so positively about my story and I hope this chapter makes sense! I will hint that a character from _The Lie That Got Away_ will be coming in soon, but who and why? xxx**


	10. Serious Matter

**Cam POV**

They managed to get out of the grand hall. They managed to find me asleep in a passage way. They managed to get all the girls settled and back to bed without too many questions. They managed to let me leave without asking _me too many questions_. I thought that I survived the night without being bombarded by queries...that was until I got to my dorm room.

The moment I was in my sanctuary, hands laced onto my clothes and pulled me deeper into the room, pinned me to the floor and switched on the light. I glanced up to see Zach hovering over me, his hands pinning my arms above my head, his hot breath spreading across my face. His eyes? Unreadable.

'Care to tell us why you ran out during a code black, Gallagher girl?' There was no smirk on his face or humour in his voice.

'I felt chlostrophobic' I answered. There was laughter above me

'Bullshit Cam, we know you don't mind being in _any_ space' Bex grinned wickedly at me

'I've never liked Code blacks' I whispered looking back at Zach, hoping he'd remember what happened last time. His eyes softened slightly. He remembered. His grip on my hands loosened and he rolled off of me. I stayed lying on the floor in the middle of my dorm room surrounded by all my friends. Silence fell.

'Where have you been Cam?' Liz asked. 'You were gone for 3 weeks'

'I…'

'Was it something to do with Jason?' Macey asked. I tensed at his name.

'He's dead. He can't... _they can't make me go back into my past_ ' I whispered

'What happened with Penny-' Bex began

'Penny's dead as well!' I exclaimed 'She was killed by her own son and I covered it up!'

'Cam…' Bex warned

'My Grandparents are dead Bex. More and more people I care about are dying around me. I had to leave. I had to _breathe_ ' I muttered sinking down onto my bed

'You're back now, that's the main thing' Grant said patting my arm. I tensed again, my clothes still smelt of my Dad's colonge he used. My dad who used to chase away the monsters. My dad who has another daughter.

'Who's visiting at this hour?' Macey asked from the window. Everybody leapt up and moved to look out over the front of the school. A pair of headlights could be seen weaving up the path. My breath caught in my throat. Zach looked at me sharply.

'It's the board' He stated. I nodded slowly

'Is it because of the code black?' Liz asked

'No' I said 'It's because of me'

There was a knock at the door. Jonas opened it revealing a _slightly_ worried Mr Soloman. He looked at me.

'Your mother wants a word' He said

'Why are the board here?' Bex asked stepping forward slightly, Soloman smiled a little

'Very observant miss Baxter, but their visit is no concern of yours' He stated

'If it involves Cam, it involves us' Macey chimmed in

'No it doesn't' Joe snapped, something he doesn't usually do with us. He composed himself. 'Cameron, come' He said, I nodded and followed him.

 **Zach POV**

'This is utter bullshit!' Bex exclaimed throwing a cushion at the now closed door. 'We should know what's going on! Cam isn't herself!' She looked at all of us for support

'We can't do anything Bex' Grant said

'We're _spies_ for fuck sack! We should be able to listen in on a conversation without being caught'

'There is a way' I muttered

'How?' She asked, her eyes widened

'Cam showed me a passage. The day the board came after she returned that summer'

'Brilliant!' Bex clapped, she turned to Liz. 'Wires, cameras, comms'

'On it!' Liz smiled, diving into her chest of draws.

'We have to hurry Liz' I said.

'Okay. Here's all your gear. By the time you get down there I'll have everything set up here' This petite girl literally pushed us out of the room. Bex followed me all the way into the passage. I remember how Cam had easily gotten away from me before, how she practically flew down the passage and into the darkness. Once we were in position, we could see the two board members wearing black suits. Cam was sitting on the window seat, hugging her knees into her body and looking away from the adults. Abby was sat on the sofa holding a mug in between both hands. Joe was leaning against the door as if blocking anyone from entering or leaving. Rachel sat composed at her desk.

'The code black was triggered from outside the school' The female board member said

'We are aware' Rachel replied

'And were all the students accounted for?' The male asked, stealing a glance in Cameron's direction. She chuckled but didn't divert her gaze from the window

'Cameron was accounted for' Joe said

'Were there any changes, anything appear _different_ when the alarm deactivated?' The woman asked

'The facalty didn't find anything when they did their checks' Rachel answered

'There doesn't seem to be any point of entry' Abby shrugged her shoulders 'Maybe it was a perimeter breach and that was it'

'This is still a serious matter Miss Cameron!' The male exclaimed, glaring at her 'A perimeter breach is still a breach. It doesn't mean that _next time_ they won't get further in'

'There won't be _a next time_ ' The woman said to her college. 'We're taking her somewhere safe' The woman looked at Cam.

'You can't!' Joe protested, stepping forward, his fists clenched.

'Joe…' Rachel warned

'If you can prove in a week's time that Cameron is safe, _then_ she can stay. If not, we will take the matter into our own hands and keep her safe'

'Her?' Cam laughed, finally shifting her gaze to the board members 'I'm not some object or classified piece of information you can gamble with. In our careers, we are all in danger at every single moment of every single day. Therefore I believe I should be treated with more respect than a prize you can toss around to _keep safe_ ' I had to smirk at her sass.

'You are treading on thin ice girl' The man hissed. The woman placed her hand on her colleges shoulder.

'One week, Cameron' She said simply. Cam nodded but didn't reply. They left soon after.

'Cameron is in too much danger at this school. Clearly she was targeted' Abby answered. _Yes Abby_.

'The UK didn't pan out how we wanted it to' Joe said running his hands through his hair

'They were in the UK?' Bex hissed in the darkness.

'Did he know you were there?' Rachel asked

'No' Joe answered, the same time Cam said 'Yes'

'What?' She answered defensively when the adult's glared at her

'Care to explain?' Rachel asked. Cam's eyes shifted from the adults to the bookshelf in the corner of the room. The same bookshelf that was build into the wall which myself and Bex were the otherside of. Cam was staring directly at us. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched.

'It was a lie that stayed a secret' She stated, diverting her gaze slowly back to look at her family 'You just get a feeling sometimes'

 **Author's note: CAM KNEW THAT THEY WERE WATCHING?! How is she going to react? She has one week to prove that she's safe, will it work out well? Or will she be taken away? Next Update is 31st December. Hope you all have a good Christmas xxx**

 **Gallagher Girl: Aww, you're so nice! I'm glad that you enjoy both stories. I've never done this kind of story with Cam's father, but it's not a normal story and I always have my twists xxx**

 **LJ: Hope you have a good trip! Do you think Cam will trust her Dad or not? xxx**

 **Dancecohen: Zammie might not be going strong right now, but secrets get revealed and somebody comes between them, is it her father or someone else? xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Yep, it's her dad and she has a sister. Will she ever meet her sister? Is her sister in danger? Is Cam in danger? Toby died in Cam's arms and Jason didn't leave the building after it was burnt down. Glad you like this chapter xxx**


	11. I Snapped, He Smirked

**Cam POV**

I can't believe someone was in the secret passage way watching me. Zach was the only person I showed the passage to. I can't believe he would betray my trust so much; then again, he's been through worse with me. I left the room very quickly and went back to my room. I obviously caught everyone off guard because Liz's laptop was thrown across the room, everyone jumped a mile across to the free beds trying to act casual. I shrugged it off, grabbed my pjs and went to get changed in the bathroom. From the other side of the door I could hear Zach and Bex come back, speaking in hushed whispered that I couldn't make out. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were slightly puffy and my pupils were dilated heavily. I needed sleep. When I came back everyone seemed to have composed themselves. Bex was braiding Macey's hair while she flicked through a magazine. The boys had all gone apart from Zach who was laying on my bed, his hands behind his head staring at me with glowing green eyes and a sweet smirk. I smiled.

'You need to go' I said nudging his leg

'I thought I could stay so that-'

'I can control my nightmares' I snapped. Zach sat up and furrowed his brow, I could sense that everyone stopped their actions momentarily at my outburst before returning to normal. Zach reached out for my hand.

'Hey, it's okay' he said calmly

'I'm tired' I answered feebly looking at our hands, he was stroking my thumb softly, I didn't like the tenderness, I was annoyed that he listened to my conversation. I turned it into a playful thumb war, I couldn't help but smile with it. Zach ended up standing up and gave me a quick hug and a light peck on my lips.

'Night Gallagher Girl'

'Sweet dreams Blackthorne Boy' I said back as he smirked out of the door.

That night, everything came back like a tilde wave.

' _Cam?'_

' _What happened?'_

' _You fainted after we saw discovered the body'_

' _Jaso-'_

' _You fainted after we discovered the body'_

' _Where is T-'_

' _What did you tell them you were doing?'_

' _Picking buttercups. What's going on?'_

' _Penny's dead. We heard a shot and investigated. They're classing it as suicide'_

' _But she-'_

' _Killed herself'_

' _This isn't right'_

' _Yet you lied already'_

' _Did I kill her?'_

' _It's our little secret'_

My eyelids flung open, I was gasping for breath. I held my hand over my mouth to stop my breath being loud; I didn't want to wake the others up. Whoever went to bed last forgot to shut the curtains, the window was open causing a cool breeze to trickle through the room. I felt a shiver down my spine. And it wasn't just from the cold. _Gallagher girls always lock their windows especially after a code black_. I remember one of my teachers telling me in the first week of school.

I crept out of bed and to the window, I looked out and saw a figure running across the grounds retreating into the darkness. My heart was pounding. I needed to go after whoever it was. But I promised I wouldn't be stupid. I knew that they would be back...and I'd be ready for them.

 ***the next morning***

'You've barely touched your breakfast' Macey noticed.

'Not that hungry' I muttered as I stirred my spoon around my bowl of porridge.

'OMG, guess what happened after the code black last night?' Tina Walters said sliding into the conversation.

'What?' One of the girls asked. Tina smiled smugly

' _The Board came_ ' she said poshly. I dropped my spoon. Rewarding me with a sideways look from Bex and Zach.

'What did they want?' Someone else asked

'Probably wondering about this weirdo who's been in town recently' Tina said casually

'What man?' Liz asked

'Oh some guy in Roseville asking about the school' she turned to me 'do you know anything about this Cam?' She asked, her eyes were twinkling, waiting for me to tell her more gossip

'No' I said as I shoved a cold, lumpy spoon of porridge into my mouth, making myself chew and swallow.

'Oh' she sulked. I turned away from her and looked at my bowl. I remained this way until the end of breakfast before going back to my dorm with the others and getting ready for P&E.

'Do you know about this man in town?' Macey asked as she folded her clothed

'Nope' I answered, popping my p.

'You sure?' Macey asked

'Yes' I snapped as I shoved my trainers into my bag. 'Can we drop it.' I stated. I didn't ask, I stated. I didn't want to talk about it, and that was final.

We made our way to the barn where mats were laid across the floor. Flashbacks for the a few weeks ago came back, me and Connor. Thinking of Connor, I look around the barn, wondering where he is. I see him leaning against a beam fiddling with his hands. He looked up when I walked over.

'Hey' I said as lightly as I could. He just stared at me for a moment, it was unnerving.

'Where have you been?' He asked

'Away' I answered looking at my feet

'You've been keeping secrets' He whispered in my ear. A shiver ran down my spine, and not in a good way.

'I don't know what you're talking about' I answered as confidently as possible, trying to zone him out and focus on Abby who was taking this lesson

'Don't worry buttercup' he whispered again, I felt something slip into my hand. It felt rough and crumpled. I sudden realisation hit me. _I didn't pick up the photo._ I didn't have to look at Connor to know he was smirking and that he knew that I knew. My heart felt heavy and tears were brewing. I bit my lip and concentrated on the teacher.

'Partners please' She said clasping her hands together. I turned away from the others quickly and glared at Connor pushing him back onto a mat. He didn't fall but stumbled slightly.

'Slow down chameleon'

'Where did you get this?' I snapped. He smirked

'You weren't the only one who skipped Code Black' he smiled lazily

'What do you want?' I asked. Something clouded over in his eyes...they reminded me of Jason.

'You'

 **Author's note: I had to leave 2016 on a cliff hanger! After this crazy year, I'm glad to leave it to rest and begin a new chapter. Hope everyone had a good Christmas! What do you think of Connor now? Is Cam out of danger, or is this just the beginning? Find out 7th January xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Connor knows...is this a good thing? Or a bad thing? xxx**

 **Gallagher Girl: glad you are loving the story, I think that Matthew got a little too caught up into a mission and ended up forming a new life, but he's back...for how long though? And will Cam go with him? xxx**

 **LJ: I'm 17, going on 18. So 2017 is a BIG year for me! Thanks for loving my stories! I hope Cam turns out okay... xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: Of course I had to mention my UK backgrounds! Although my family come from Ireland...but for some reason for me, Matthew seemed to be a guy that would settle in the highlands. The book does mention where Matthew is buried, Catherine shows Cam over the summer and then she returns later. The only thing is, it doesn't say that they found a body or bones so I'm taking it as he's out there which is where I based this story from. I love writing from a character's POV (especially Cam's) because I feel like I could put myself in that situation. Cam has always been on the edge...will this be a tipping point? xxx**

 **Blackthorne Boy: OMG I'Ve had a _Gallagher Girl_ review and now a _Blackthorne Boy_! I'm so Happy! Anyway, thanks for the love xxx**

 **Dancecohen: Connor was at Edgemount with Jason but joined Blackthorne for the final college year which so happens to be at Gallagher! xxx**

 **Lina Walowitz: Glad you love it xxx**


	12. Oh Cameron

**Cam POV**

'Me?' I asked stepping back slightly

'You're going to help me' He said

'Help with what?' I wondered. He bit his lip and looked away.

'You'll see' He whispered

'Everything okay Squirt?' Abby asked from behind. I composed my face and turned to Abby , flashing her a smile.

'Everything's fine Abby'

'Then make sure you practise your moves and not just having a chat' She winked at me before going off to the next group. I turned back to Connor who was about to kick me but I grabbed his shoe and flung it to the ground.

'What the fuck?' I hissed getting into a crouching position, ready to fight.

'You've got fast reactions' He said admireringly

'What do you want me to help you with?' I asked, landing a punch on his ribs.

'Removing some records from some databases' He said blocking my kick

'Why?' I breathed out going for another punch, but Connor grabbed my fist in his hand. I looked at him dead in the eye, his eyes had softened slightly making my stomach flip.

'You're not to only one who's got stuff to hide' He whispered. Our breath became mixed together, our chests rising and falling in rhythm. 'You can't tell anyone' He added

'Neither can you about…' I let the sentence trail off.

'I won't' He gave a quick smile before releasing me. For some reason i let out a large sigh and looked over at the other groups. My gaze was immediately attached to Zach's green eyes which looked back at me with massive confusion, hurt and anger. I felt frozen just staring at him, trying to communicate to him. Connor came next to me and followed my gaze and turned back to me. 'He the jealous type?' Connor whispered, I ripped my gaze away from Zach and looked at Connor.

'What are you talking about?' I asked

'Was he jealous of Jamie?' He asked

'Jamie was-'

'I know. But was Zach jealous?'

'A bit' I shrugged

'Like his mother?' He raised his eyebrows

'He's nothing like his mother' I hissed

'Was Jason like his father?'

'You can't…' I bit my lip and felt my eyes well up

'Think about it Cam. You're a pavement artist like your dad. We inherit traits from our parents whether we liked to or not'

'I'm nothing like my father' I hissed, my voice choking slightly

'You run away from your problems like him. You let other people take the blame, and make the world revolve around you. Penny died because of you'

'I DIDN'T KILL PENNY' I snapped, raising my voice without me knowing. As soon as the words were released, I wish that I could have taken them back. Everyone was looking at me. Connor was giving me a slightly worried look. My friends were confused. Abby began to move towards me. I couldn't take it. I launched myself out of the barn and ran towards to school. My legs were already burning from the exercise from today. I kept running. I ran until I got to my room. I dived straight into my closet and got my rucksack, I grabbed clothes and money. I shut the cupboard as I heard movement outside the door. I leapt across the room and stood by my window. The door opened slowly.

'Cam?' Bex asked. Her voice was quiet and small

'What Bex?' I said harsher than I meant

'What happened with Connor?'

'We were just talking' I shrugged it off

'Talking about what? Cause at points you two were _extremely close_ and then that outburst...We were all confused'

'It's none of your business Bex' I turned on her 'If it was, I would have told you about it...or invited you into the room when the board came' I watched as Bex's eyes widened slightly 'Yeah, I know you and Zach were behind the bookcase' I took a step forward 'Are you all fucking kidding me? I did _not_ for one moment think that my friends would stoop so low as to hide in a passageway and listen to my conversation'

'You weren't talking to us Cam! You weren't telling us SHIT! The last time the board were here, you disappeared with Joe for three weeks. And you disappeared during the code black cam. _We were worried'_

'You need to stop' I snapped

'Oh Cameron' Bex shook her head 'When will you ever learn that we _always_ worry about you'

'What do you mean?' I asked. Bex sighed and walked towards me, I stayed where I was, confused at what Bex meant. She reached for my hand and extended it out. I followed her gaze and saw a fresh cut across it, with blood oozing slightly. My body was telling me something, screaming for help.

 **Author's note: So Cam's off on more adventures, yet her body is _literally_ telling her she needs help. Did she cause the wound or was it Connor? Let me know what you think will happen next? xxx**

 **Gallagher Girl: I haven't turned 18 yet, at the end of January I will be! He was definately close with Jason but I don't know _how_ close. Hope you had a good birthday! Bless ya for loving my stories xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: What do you think? Do you think that Connor is good or bad? xxx**

 **AllyCarterFan: I can't believe that its been 11 chapters! This is 100% a longer sequel compared to the original. I love cliff hangers :D. I love the mystery to it all. YOU SAW THE BUTTERCUP BIT! I really wanted to see who would pick up on it and who wouldn't get it, I'm so glad that you caught on! Zammie relationship gets pushed to it's limits and causes the true Zammie trust to either break or get stronger. Thank you so much for loving my stories and being there from the beginning. Please create an account! I would love to let you in on a load of secrets _but_ I think we could collab? I bet you're amazing at writing! xxx**

 **LJ: Happy new year! I'm glad that you love this story! Yeah, I don't feel that much older than everyone else but I'm a big kid at heart xxx**

 **India: Umm...Rome...Siberia...I can't remember, I'll let you know next week when I'm back at home xxx**

 **Blackthorne Boy: I have :D xxx**


	13. Scab Not Scar

**Cam POV**

Bex had cleaned up my scratch and promised not to mention it to anyone, at least I wouldn't get a scar, only a scab and then it'll fade. Unlike most things.

'What were you and Connor talking about?' She asked after she put a plaster over it

'Jamie' I answered honestly

'And it lead to you blurting out _I didn't kill Penny_ in front of half the year and Blackthorne?'

'Yeah' I muttered groaning internally. 'Did everyone hear?' I asked, Bex chuckled lightly

'I think Canada heard' She smiled. I laughed a little and rested my head against the edge of the bath

'This is hard' I began 'There's so many secrets coming out at once. It hurts'

'What other secrets?' She asked, I could tell even with my eyes closed that she was watching me carefully. I chewed the inside of my mouth wondering whether or not I should tell Bex the truth or give her a little slither of evidence to satisfy her. I chose the latter.

'Someone was asking questions about my Dad. The Board wanted to notify me'

'So why did you go away for 3 weeks?' She asked. I shock my head. Begin lie number one.

'Joe wanted to take me on a little Step-dad, step-daughter bonding trip. He wanted to help me breath and relax after everything. He wanted to help my nightmares'

'And has it?' There was a hint of hopefulness in her voice. I felt bad that I was going to disappoint.

'No' I whispered, opening my eyes to look at my best friend and give her a sad smile 'nothing will ever stop them' Bex returned the smile and looked away. We remained in comfortable silence for a good few minutes before she clasped her hands together.

'We should get changed for our next lesson' She said standing up and stretching. I nodded and stood up with her. We went out of the bathroom and got dressed. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.

'Bex?'

'Hm?'

'I'm actually excited for CovOps this year' I turned to her beaming 'I wonder what we're _actually doing_ '

'You've missed quite a lot. But I recon that Abby and Rachel were keeping the exciting things until you came back' She winked at me. The bell chimed through the corridor outside, loud enough for us to hear. We made our way through the tidal wave of school girls eager to get to their next lesson. We made our way down into the subs. They hadn't rebuilt any deeper levels when the school burnt down so we were stuck with where we were Senior Year. I walked into class to find everyone sitting where they were 3 weeks ago. I slid down next to Zach who was chatting to Grant. His body was tense and his eyes looked steely. My heart sank knowing that Zach was annoyed, and most likely at me. Joe came into the classroom and all conversations died out. But he wasn't alone. He was with the female board member. She had a notepad.

'Missed me?' Joe said, ignoring the woman a few strides behind him.

'Of course' Tina answered. I looked at the woman and she caught my glance, before scribbling something down on her paper. I gulped.

'Your lesson today is about attitudes. A great spy develops many persona's in their lifetime but it's hard to separate their emotions and attitudes between them. This is where many people develop a mask, block out their past and shut it out.' He sighed 'I don't agree with this method, but the CIA believe it is necessary _especially_ for your age' He glanced at me quickly. 'Therefore today we will watching a video, your assignment is not to react. They want to prepare you for the worst you may face. Some of you know that first hand' He glanced at me again and twiddled his thumbs. 'If you can't handle it, you can leave. _My perception_ of you won't change. This to me is something even the highest trained spies can't control'

'Which is why we're doing it on the next generation as early as possible' The woman chimed in looking at us 'Myself and the board want to see if you all could truly make it in this lifestyle. Some may. Some may not' The last part she looked at me. I glared at her momentarily before turning away and looking at my nails.

'Newman, get the lights' Joe said to Grant who got up and turned them off. Joe pressed a button and a screen dropped from the ceiling. He pressed it again and made his way to the back of the room, looking at me as he went. The woman remained at the front leaning against the door frame. I drew my glance away from her once again to look at the screen. Immediately we were greeted by someone's helmet cam, they were on a mission in the snowy mountains, they were in a helicopter along with others in similar gears.

 _'T-minus 90 seconds till landing'_ A voice said

 _'Glad to be going back home after this Morgan?_ ' A companion next to the helmet cam said. I spun around to look at Joe who was ignoring my gaze and watching the screen intensely. I looked at the woman who was staring at me, waiting for my reaction. I snapped my head back to the screen when my dad's voice filled the room.

 _'You betcha'_ The camera tilted as if someone was nodding.

 _'Simplest in and out mission we've had in ages!'_ His companion geered

 _'I don't know. It felt too easy. Nothing's ever that simple'_ My dad said. I felt tears begin to prickle in my eyes. But I wouldn't let them. I could feel the woman staring at me, but I wouldn't give in to her. I swallowed away my tears and continued to watch.

We watched as they dropped off the helicopter and climbed up a small peak through deep snow. Then we saw a small door carved into the ice, as if it was made of it as well instead of metal.

 _'Alpha team are coming home'_ my dad said opening the door. The sight he was welcomed with made many girls and guys in the room open their mouths. Liz gasped and ran out. Some other girls did as well. One saying they were going to be sick. Blood. There was blood _everywhere_ , bodies littered the ground like confetti, heads blown apart on some, eyes wide and lifeless on others, all of this seen through the camera lense. All of this my dad saw.

 _'SECURE THE BUILDING'_ My dad barked _'This place was meant to be secure! Review the CCTV! Somebody tell me what happened! Look for survivors, anyone'_ He then began to run down the corridor, past more and more bodies.

'Cam?' Bex whispered, I turned to her, she looked pale 'Are you okay?' She asked studying me. I remained neutral and nodded, turning my gaze back to the screen. My eyes scanned to my left to see Zach's jaw tense, his eyes glaring at the screen, his hands in tight fists, shaking by his side.

 _'There's nothing Matt'_ Another voice came _'They're all dead'_

' _How?'_ My father boomed _'How did anyone outside of this division know about this?'_

 _'There was this'_ The man produced a piece of paper. The camera panned down following my father's gaze. There right in the middle of the screen was the _COC_ 's logo, below it was a simple letter _Dance to close to the flame, and you'll get burnt_. For the brief moments the letter was on the screen, Zach had punched the table and left the room.

 **Author's note: dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn. I couldn't do a Gallagher Girl story without _some_ mention of the circle. FYI They will not be featured in this story, they are destroyed. Hope you like this chapter! Next update is Saturday, sorry if I didn't mention it last week, please realise this is a saturday story unless I mention otherwise xxx**

 **Blackthorne Boy: Hope you like it xxx**

 **Gallagher Girl: Bless ya! I'm glad you're loving my story! Check out my other one and my heist society series as well xxx**

 **AllyCarterFan: I was hoping that people reading the first story would have picked up on 'buttercup' but you were the only one that seemed to have noticed! Well done :D. Why did Zach leave the room? Why is Cam staying so calm instead of screaming out like she's done before? I would totally tell you some of my secrets, I've got so many that I need to tell somebody! You can always create an account and not upload a story yet, it means that you'll be able to find your favourite stories and get alerts when they are updated. I hope you do xxx**

 **Lina Walowitz: Every Saturday upload :D xxx**

 **Pinkitty2003: Don't worry, I upload on Saturdays. Make sure you follow the story so you can see when it's updated. xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: I think Cam is in a good, intelligent place, she seems to _know_ what to do and what might be coming...or does she...xxx**

 **Dancecohen: You know how much I love my cliff hangers xxx**

 **LJ: What do you think Zach's annoyed about this time? I think Cam is perfectly capable to handle this on her own, and anyway, she won't ask for help even when she needs it the most xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Interesting. What do you think of the board member? Is she a friend or foe? And what about the clip they were shown? Do you think that this help Cam's relationship with her father, or hinder it? xxx**


	14. Testing Me

**Cam POV**

Grant had followed him naturally as his best friend while I remained seated, Bex, Macey and Jonas left as well. Macey tapped me as if wanting me to follow, but Bex told her to leave me. The woman had let her gaze follow Zach out of the room before she wrote stuff down. My dad proceeded to thrust the letter back at the man. Take his helmet off causing the camera to drop to the floor.

'What do we do?' The guy asked

'We tell them exactly what happened. The COC breeched us. They know who we are'

'They don't know our identities. We're safe though, aren't we Matt?'

'I honestly don't know Will' He huffed. There were a few moments silence 'We need to tell our family in case this is something big'

'The kids'll be safe though, right? Cam's going to Gallagher and Connor's starting at Edgemount' I felt my eyes widen and my heart pound. 'They'll be out of harms way!'

'We can't garantee that Will! If the Circle can get _anywhere_ , they can get _anyone_ ' He hissed

'Then we just have to hope'

'Yeah, hope' And the screen went black. I hadn't realised that almost _everyone_ had left the room apart from me and Connor. He had the same expression as me. Pissed, annoyed, hurt, confused. I stood up and glared at the woman.

'I hope you're happy' I snapped. She looked up at me

'You were doing _so well_ Cameron. And threw it away just then' She gestured to me and shook her head lightly

'What game are you trying to play?' I hissed

'This video has been used for training countless times to show how even the very trained, show their emotions and forget their prime objective' She informed. I was ready to lash out at her for the ridiculous way she talked about my father when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I glanced up to see Connor staring intensely at me.

'It's not worth it' He said. Instantaniously I was calmed down, because I saw the same greif that i felt refected in his eyes. We were both being tested and we didn't know why. I simply nodded and allowed Connor to guide me out of the classroom. Once we were out of the corroridor and in the elevator did either of us dare to speak.

'I didn't know our dad's knew each other' He said

'Neither did I' I muttered

'I need to talk to your dad' He said, I snapped my head up

'No'

'Cam, I need to know where my dad is, your's might know where he is'

'I'm _not_ talking to him' I hissed

'Why not?'

'You heard in the clip; _Cam's going to Gallagher_. My dad disappeared soon after I started here. And…' I shut my mouth quickly, not wanting to tell any more secrets

'And what?' Connor asked stepping towards me

'And that's around the time he started his new family' I admitted to him, feeling the tears wanting to fall again.

'Fuck' He muttered running his hands through his hair 'I'm sorry Cam'

'Me too' I muttered. The elevator began to slow 'You can't tell anyone. Nobody knows he was here, and nobody knows about Georgia'

'I promise Cam' He sighed 'I want to know more about that video'

'So do I. We could look at it together, after everyone's calmed down' I suggested

'Deal' He nodded as the doors opened. We walked into out from behind the grand staircase to see my mother and Abby standing expectantly

'Kiddo' My mum began

'It's fine mom' I smiled

'We had no idea about it. The board showed up and expected us to co-operate'

'Where's Zach?' I asked. My two favourite women looked at each other

'We don't know. He left the Subs and virtually disappeared. Everyone's looking for him' My mom said

'Thanks mom' I said and began to move off, Connor caught my arm and spun me around

'Cam, remember what I said in the barn?' He asked, I looked at him confused

'We all inherit traits from our parents, even Zach' He whispered

'Zach's nothing like his mother' I answered defensively

'Just be careful' He said 'I mean Jason and his brother were different, yet they were the same, you know what I mean?' He looked flustered and confused

'I know perfectly' I answered, I couldn't help but show bitterness and hurt in my voice as the memories flashed through. I slid out of Connor's grasp and ran down the corridor, knowing Zach as well as I did, he wouldn't stay in the school grounds. I found a passage way and slipped into the cool darkness.

Zach was about 2 miles away from the school in a public park sitting on the swings. I came and sat down on the other one and looked ahead of me, like he was.

'Everyone's looking for you' I began

'I couldn't stay in that room' His tone was harsh and almost scary. 'Did you stay?' He asked looking at me from the side. I nodded and sighed.

'The board are testing me' I whispered

'Why?' Zach asked

'I know you were in the passageway that night Zach' I turned to him, a thin line spread across my lips 'Why listen in?'

'Because _you_ weren't letting us in' I rolled my eyes

'You weren't invite-'

'No Cam. _You_ were shutting all of us out. You weren't telling us any secrets, or where you disappeared off to, we were all worried'

'There's nothing to be worried about Zach!' I jumped up from the swings and stood in front of him 'I'm fine, honestly'

'Then why did you go to the UK? Why have the board given you a week to prove that you're safe?' He demanded standing up facing me. He raised his eyebrows at my silence 'You're hiding something Gallagher Girl. Just tell me' His eyes were soft, but his jaw was set firm.

'I...I can't Zach' I looked up at him with pleading eyes, he looked away from me. I stared up at him until I knew he wouldn't look at me again. 'You haven't told me about all of your past either Zach' I muttered, still looking at the side of his face 'You know more than anyone how hard it is to open old wounds' Zach turned his gaze back to me, I felt the tears begin to sting at the back of my eyes, but I willed them not to fall. Zach isn't allowed to see me broken again.

'That's different' He said

'How? How are you allowed to keep your secrets, but I have to share mine?'

'BECAUSE I WAS IN THAT BUILDING' He shouted, his eyes had clouded over, they were darker, scarier. More like his mom's.

'What?' I whispered almost unaudibaly, as if all the air had been sucked out of me in one go. Zach ran his hand through his hair

'That was my first operation with my mother' He looked up at the sky

'You...you said you never joined the circle!' I exclaimed, still staring at him.

'I lied' Zach looked back at me, there were tears in his eyes 'I lied to protect myself and you' He took a step towards me and I stepped back, looking at Zach in a way I've never looked at him before. Disgust. I shook my head.

'No' I spat 'You were protecting yourself'

'Cam…' He reached his hand out. I step back and wrapped my arms around my waist.

' _Tell me the truth Zach_ ' I pleaded. He looked at me and I looked at the ground, he sighed before he answered

 **Author's note: Cam was being tested...Connor's dad and Cam's dad were friends...Zach was in the building. What is going to happen? Did Zach see Cam's dad? Did he do anything to him? Does this mean that Connor and Cam have a secret from everyone, and will they go looking for answers? What do you think of Connor's warning? Are we like our parents? Let me know what you think. Next Upload on Saturday 28th xxx**

 **Pinkitty2003: Glad you like it, did you see that coming? xxx**

 **Dancecohen: I actually have 2 new stories but I don't know which one I'm going to upload first and when. Probably after I've finished my two current stories because I have exams coming up in a few months and I need to have time to revise instead of writing. That'll be a sad few months for me :'(. xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: I think the female board member has a few surprises up her sleeve...and I'm giving her a name next chapter so it's easier to identify her. Zach was definitely pissed...because he remembered. Zach was there. I feel like we never got to know a lot about Zach's past, although Blackthorne taught them how to use guns, I feel like Zach was taught a lot more from his mother, hence him being taken on a mission. I hope that Cam finally asks her friends to help her xx**

 **Blackthorne Boy: Every Saturday xxx**

 **Lina Walowitz: The saying was a warning from the circle basically saying _Stay Away_ but Catherine loved to use riddles. Thank you so much for loving this story, I hope that this answered some of your questions, see you next week xx**

 **LJ: Did you think that Zach wasn't actually angry at everyone else or worried about Cam, but he was worried about himself...angry at what he had done... Cam has always been independent, but with Connor sharing something from her past...has she found an ally or an enemy? xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: Cheers! Hope you liked this chapter! xxx**

 **AllyCarterFan: Girl are you reading my mind! I've had this chapter written for over a month and you've worked it out! Zach was pissed because of Catherine. Cam knew she had to stay put, her curiosity got the better of her once again. If and when you create an account, let me know because I'd reply to your Private Messages, as I have done with other people...wink wink. Let me know what you think, can't wait to hear your next review xxx**


	15. Split The Peace

**Cam POV**

'Mom said that the she needed to make it clear _who_ was in control. She wanted to me to watch, use my training that she gave me, give me a _real_ experience before I went to Blackthorne' He paused 'We went in, we killed, we placed a note, we left' I looked up at him 'Do you know how many people's eyes I stared into? How many I saw the life drain out of?' He raised his arms 'You say none of us know what it's like to be tortured' He dropped his arms 'That's my torture. That's the image swirling around my head everytime I close my eyes Cam. I killed them'

'My father could have been there' I whispered. 'You and your mom are the reasons that he protected me so much that I was afraid of not knowing.' A realisation dawned on me. 'You wanted me to go looking for answers that Summer' I looked sternly at him 'Was that part of your plan?' I hissed

'Come on Gallagh-'

'Save it' I placed my arms between us as if building a wall where I could be safe, a barrier where he can't hurt me. 'It's true' I whispered

'What is?'

'That we're like our parents Zach! We all inherit traits from them whether we want to or not! I'm a pavement artist like my father, I'm caring like my mother. And You… You're exactly how your mother wanted you to be' My heart felt like it weighed a ton. Zach stood there motionless, his mouth had dropped open slightly. He was staring at me as if he was made of stone, frozen in time. Stuck. My heart was breaking but my head was telling me to place the final nail in the coffin. So I did.

'I don't know if I trust you Zach' I said as I took a step back. Zach just stood there. I couldn't contain the tears anymore so I turned around and ran, letting them fall, not caring who was around me. I kept running until my lungs felt like they were on fire, my legs felt like they would snap and my eyes stinking.

I walked along a river bank that I found, I kicked a few pebbles into the stream, listening to the current take them away, flowing freely. I was in my own world when I heard movement from behind, a twig snapped. I froze. I turned cautiously thinking that it was Zach, but it wasn't.

'What are you doing here?' I ask

'You left the school grounds. You know you aren't meant to'

'So you're following me?' I folded my arms

'I'm observing' The female board member smiled

'Where's your college?' I ask. She stiffens momentarily

'Occupied' She says

'So why are you following me?'

'You have a tendency to do this' I roll my eyes

'You don't know me' I said as I turned away again, beginning to walk.

'I have something for you' She called. I stopped and turned.

'What?' I called back. She produced an envelope from her pocket, I moved towards her. What happened next, was unexpected. A shot roared through the trees, I fell to the ground immediately in defense. I glanced up to see the woman on the ground, but she wasn't laying on her front like spies were trained to do, she was on her back...like she's been shot. I crawled over to her and noticed she was struggling to breath, blood was spilling out of her stomach. I placed my hand over it and applied pressure. I glanced at her.

'It's going to be okay' I soothed 'Try to level your breathing, think happy thoughts'

'The...shooter' She spluttered. I glanced around, analysing where the shot could have come from and the height it was fired from. The woods were silent. Even the stream seemed to have silenced out of respect.

'Gone' I informed her

'You have to get out of here' She whispered

'I'm not leaving you' I said, applying a little more pressure

'You're in danger'

'If I was, they would have shot me, or killed you properly' I told her, my eyes trained on the wound

'Fluid might have got into your lungs, you need to save your breath' I informed her. I took my jacket off and placed it over the wound. With my left hand, stained with blood, I kept on it. I reached my right hand into my pocket and grabbed my phone.

 **911, what's your emergency?**

 _My name is Cameron Morgan, I'm on the riverside trail about 2.3 miles from the bridge. A female's been shot in the abdomen with a 3.2 cm bullet. There doesn't appear to be an exit wound._

 **Okay honey, is the woman conscience?**

 _Yes. Her pulse is 10 below resting_

 **Very good, now Cameron I need you to apply pres-**

 _I'M DOING THAT_ I barked down the phone

 **Cameron, I'm going to need you to stay calm.**

 _Okay_

 **Very good. Is there anybody around?**

 _No_ I said glancing around again.

 **An ambulance is on it's way.**

I zoned out to what the operator was saying after that. I was concentrating on the board member.

'I don't know your name' I blurted randomly. The woman chuckled lightly

'Hannah' She whispered. I smiled at her.

'The ambulance should be here soon' I could hear a faint siren if I concentrated hard enough.

'You're a good girl Cameron' She laced her hand on top of mine.

'What was in the envelope?' I asked trying to get away from emotions

'More photos' She winced

'I don't want to know about my dad' I answered harshly.

'It's. not. Him' She groaned more

'Who?' I asked. The ambulance had got so close that the sirens split the peace. I leant in towards the woman's mouth as her voice became quieter and quieter. She whispered something into my ear as the medics came. I crawled back in shock. My heart was racing as I picked up the envelope that had dropped from her hand. It had spats of blood on it. I opened the envelope shakily fearing what could be on the inside. There was photos, lots of them. All of murders. All females. Females that were kind of similar to me. Some had similar eyes. Some had similar hair. Others had the same build as me. Others were just unlucky girls. I tucked the photos away in my skirt so no one could take them away from me. I felt anger bubbling inside of me. Someone I knew was a serial killer.

 **Author's note: Just to let you know, there may be a delay with next week's upload, last night I wasn't happy with the story line so I went back and changed the majority of this chapter and it means I have to re-write the several more chapters I have prepared. Sorry if there isn't one next week, I'll try as much as I can but I have coursework to do, my co-written story with XanderInkWaster (CHECK IT OUT ON HIS PROFILE). Best wishes for this week. I'm uploading something special tomorrow, hope you all like it and I'll see you at some point! xxx**

 **Dancecohen: All of my stories are based around Ally Carter's world but mainly Gallagher Girls because Cammie is my queen! xxx**

 **LJ: Thank you so much! Did you see this coming? I will do a daily upload soon, probably when I'm on half term...so mid Feb? That's if I write a few chapters by then :D xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: Did you see this coming? Let me know what you think might happen next and who is the shooter? xxx**


	16. Careless Actions

**Zach POV**

I made it back to Gallagher after trying to run after Cam, but she disappeared again, probably not wanting to talk to me. As I came into the hallway, I didn't expect to see the Board male member and someone else in an identical government suit (you know the kind) chatting furiously with Rachel, Abby and Joe along the corridor. I hung back slightly and dipped into the shadows so I could hear.

'I've just got word that Agent Hannah is out of surgery and it was a success' Rachel announced

'But who was the shooter? And why was your daughter with her?' The board member asked. I froze among the shadows. There was a shooting. And Cammie was involved.

'The shooter has been unidentified, there appeared to be no trace' Joe added

'But why was Miss Morgan allowed to leave the school grounds especially when there was a Code Black only a matter of days ago' The other suit person aid

'We will be investigating it' The male board member said. Everyone turned to him 'In the meantime, Miss Morgan is currently on her way to a safe location where she will be under protection for the preceeding future'

'She should have been taken away when the threat arose!' His friend argued

'Cameron wanted a chance to prove that she was safe' Joe answered defensively

'And clearly that was a mistake' The male board member said. He was bald so I'm going to call him Egg. 'Because of Cameron's careless actions, she has now endangered the lives of not just hers, but anyone close to her' Egg announced 'Hannah had found some more information that she was passing onto Cameron. The threat isn't just to Cameron's safety anymore' he announced.

'How?' Abby asked

'A person describing Matthew Morgan's description was seen 3 days ago in DC. We believe he was trying to get intelligence and then come down here' Egg said coolly. My eyes widened.

'That doesn't mean he's the shooter!' Rachel hissed

'He was MIA for nearly 10 years Rachel. Why come back now?' Abby said. Rachel turned to her

'You seriously think he would hurt Cammie?' Her voice dripped with hurt

'Perhaps Catherine wasn't finished with her games' Abby said back

'What she means' Joe stood between the two women 'Is that we don't know whose grave we found and why he's back now. But it doesn't make Matthew a killer'

'Are we done?' Rachel said composed to Egg. Egg nodded and him and his companion left. I waited a few more minutes to see Rachel go off in one direction, and Abby in another. Joe stood there lingering for a moment before he turned and glared at where I was hiding. I had a weird feeling that he probably saw me from the beginning but didn't say anything. He waited until everything was quiet.

'What were _you_ doing outside the school grounds?' He asked

'I needed to clear my head. Cam found me. We argued'

'What did you argue about?'

'The video we watched earlier. That was my first mission with my mom' I said bluntly, Joe raised one eyebrow but didn't say anything. 'Is it true about Cammie leaving?'

'Yes' Joe sighed 'Once we and the board were informed about Hannah's shooting, Rachel decided it was best for Cameron to leave for a while'

'How long will she be gone?'

'We don't know'

'Is Matthew _really alive_?'

'You should be in bed' Joe clasped his hands together 'The girls were a bit stressed when Cam came back covered in blood and not wanting to talk. You may need to calm them down' I nodded and went into the building. Joe remained outside for a moment before following me back in. I made my way through the corridors and got to the girl's room. I knocked once. Grant came and opened the door, he looked sad, but when he saw me, he was pissed.

'Where the fuck have you been?' He glared 'We couldn't find you anywhere, then Cam went missing, then she came back covered in blood and then disappeared again!'

'Grant…' Bex warned from over his shoulder. The door opened wider and I slipped inside. Bex, was on her bed and Grant came next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Liz was leaning on Macey's shoulder on her bed whists Jonas was on his computer whilst sitting on the floor.

'The board have taken her somewhere safe' I said, answering an unanswered question that lingered in the air

'We thought so when she came in here' Liz shivered slightly 'Whose blood was it?'

'Hannah, the board member who was in the lesson today' I answered

'Where did _you_ go Zach?' Macey answered

'That doesn't matter right now' I glared at her 'Matthew's alive'

'SHUT UP' They all shouted

'Shhhhh' Bex said 'Little Miss Gossip is only across the hall' She hissed, I felt stupid to not think of Tina and her massive mouth.

' _How is he alive_?' Macey hissed

'They don't know. He was seen in DC three days ago and Hannah was giving Cam evidence of some sort and that's when she was shot'

'So Cam wasn't targeted' Liz wondered

'They don't know who the shooter was.'

'Matthew wouldn't hurt her' Bex stated

'Are you sure?' Grant said

'When Cam thought she could find her father, she went looking for clues' She stopped and looked at us 'She went looking for clues and she found trouble' Her eyes rested on mine 'So what if this time, trouble finds _her_ '

 **Author's note: So Cam's been taken away...who do you think the shooter was? Let me know what you think might happen? And who is actually back from the dead... Update next Saturday xxx**

 **Lina Walowitz: I'm usually consistant when I upload on Saturdays, I'm in the UK so when I upload on Saturdays, it might be different else where. Hope you enjoyed this chapter xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Did you expect Cam to be taken away? Did she go willingly or was someone forced to take her away? And what was in the envelope? Who was the shooter? Is Cam safe? xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: A plot twist is always needed in my stories! You never know what I have up my sleeve, the shooter could be friend or foe..you'll have to wait and see *evil laugh*. For this series, Zach's mom is dead. This is a continuation from the original stories with a little bit of my magic twist! Thanks for loving my stories, it's actually emotional finishing them :'(.**

 **Zackgoodet: Cliffhangers are my favourite, a little bit of suspense never hurt anyone! Thank you so much for loving my writing, I was worried that it might be a bit confusing. I hope this answered some of your questions...and do you want a sneak peek? Everyone else has to turn away now! This is only for Zackgoodet! Sneak Peek:** _I couldn't be around anyone I trusted, they were like poison to me now. One of them was a killer. And one of them was planning on killing me._ **That's all you're getting, sorry! xxx**


	17. Saying Goodbye

**Cam POV**

Rain lashed at the car window as the car drove den the highway. I was in the back being accompanied by one agent and one driver. The threat was too much. I couldn't be around anyone I trusted, they were like poison to me now. One of them was a killer. And one of them was planning on killing me. They believe that my father was the shooter. I couldn't tell my friends what had happened, I was told to get my things and leave as quickly as possible. I didn't get to say goodbye.

'We'll be arriving soon' one of the agents informed

'This has a disaster movie written all over it' I muttered as I looked out the window

'In what way?' Clive sitting next to me asked. I turned to him

'Two agents taking a target away for safety, driving thousands of miles across the US at the night in the rain where an attack can come from any direction and we wouldn't see it coming? Honestly it's a bit predictable' I raised my eyebrows at him

'We're just following orders' Clive chucked

'Tell your boss that if he wants transportation to be safer; don't use the standard _black SUV with tinted windows_ ' I turned away and looked out of the window

'You'll be fine Cameron' he reassured me

'Fine?' I chuckled and rolled my eyes

'Your safety is our top priority' Clive reassured me. I nodded.

'Can I make a call?' I asked. I saw the driver look at Clive through the rear-view mirror. Clive looked at me with a small smile

'I'm sorry Cameron, but we can't risk it'

'I didn't get to say goodbye' I pointed out

'One call, that's it' He handed me his phone. I dialled a number I knew off by heart

 **Hello?**

 _Hi_ I whispered

 **We were informed about the shooting. I swear we will do everything we can to keep you safe** Joe said down the phone

 _I'm sorry Joe_

 **Don't think about it Cam. We want you to be safe.**

 _The pigeons, Joe._ I needed to tell him that my dad was back. _The pigeons flew back home_

 **When were you going to tell me?** His tone was harsh

 _I wasn't_. I muttered

 **Cameron Ann Morgan, this is serious! He is a bigger danger than you may think**

 _You don't know him_ I answered defensively

 **I've known him longer than you Cameron.**

 _Like that video in class? Did you know about that?_ I practically shouted

'Cameron you need to hang up' Clive ordered

 _Bye Joe_ I ended the call and passed it back to Clive. I remained silent for the rest of the journey.

The house that they took me to was in the center of Orlando, buildings surrounded it, I wasn't allowed near the windows. I wasn't allowed a phone. I wasn't allowed anything fun. I'd been here for less than 24 hrs and I'd already written 2 reports, read the dictionary (yeah I was _that_ bored) and learnt a bit of old Latin. I was sitting at the breakfast bar with Clive when his phone rang.

'Chasin' He answered. I smiled. I can see why Joe does it; once a spy, always a spy. Clive looked at me 'How long?' He asked into the phone, I looked at him confused. Clive ended the call, threw the phone at the wall and looked at me 'We need to leave now'

'Someone found us?' I asked. Clive chuckled

'You're a spy' He said moving towards the staircase. 'But not quite yet' We began to descend town the spiraling stairs, leaping from one step to another. When we got to ground level, before Clive opened the door he handed me a gun.

'There's a flight to Glasgow leaving from Orlando International in 3 hours. Make sure you're on it'

'What are you talking about?' I asked.

'Look, you probably didn't want to listen to him, but your father needs to talk to you and I have a feeling you do to. I'm giving you a chance Cameron' He handed me a burner phone 'Don't miss out like he did'

'How did you-'

'We don't have time' He opened the door and guided me along the street

'What if I'm not on it?'

'Oh you will be' He smiled down at me 'You're too curious not to. Your dad coming back is the best news any of us could ever have imagined. He knew he screwed up but want's to make it right. You have to sort it out'

'Who are you?' I asked. Clive smiled

'Did you really think you only had one godfather?'

'You're fucking kidding me, right?' I raised my eyebrows at him

'Look, you don't have a lot of time, so get on that flight, see Matthew and then come back'

'Did you know about his daughter?'

'Yeah...you' He looked at me confused

'I meant Georgia. Did you know?'

'She's Monique's daughter. Matthew is kind of like her step father, he's been there since she was born'

'Oh' I admitted, my heart soared a little but came back to earth... _He's been there since she was born._

'But he needs to talk to you. There's been word going around the agencies...someone's going to investigate him soon'

'Meaning they're going to investigate me…' My heart came back to earth.

'You need to catch your flight Cameron' He hailed a taxi and guided me into it. 'Airport, step on it' He ordered. He shut the door. Once again, I didn't get to say goodbye.

 **Author's note: MORE MYSTERY! I freaking love the changes that are going to come soon, I hope that you'll like them as well! Next update on Saturday. Check out _The House In The Fog_ My co-written story with XanderInkWaster! Spread the love, it's been a very unique writing process and we would both appreciate you checking it out xxx**

 **Zachgoodet: really interesting theory! You're right that Zach will eventually find Cam...but will he be the first? Catherine's dead. Soz. I'm glad you liked the sneak peek...do you want another one? Okay, everyone scroll down and not look at this next bit:** _One: I own a private yet. Two: We know he's going to Scotland. And Three: We ask the adults_ **Hope you like this! xxx**

 **LJ: I KNOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: Glad you like this story! It's actually been hard over the last few weeks because I've changed the story line so much! Hopefully it's heading in a new direction! xxx**


	18. Lock Ness Chameleon

**Cam POV**

I was probably being stupid trusting somebody who claimed to be my other godfather when I don't know him from Adam. But I did. And I was probably stupid for what I was about to do. I dialled a number that I had memorised by accident.

 **Only 3 people in the world know this number, which one are** _ **you**_ **?** Venom seeped through every word

 _It's Cam_ I whispered. There was a pause

 **I guess 4 people know it now.** He chuckled

 _You want answers don't you? I'm going to get some_

 **Where are you? That Tina girl's been telling people you're in protection, is it-**

 _Meet me in Glasgow_

 **Wait, what?! Does this mean…**

 _I'm going to talk to my father._ I breathed out

 **Are you sure you want me there?**

 _We both want answers Connor. It's better if we both go_

 **Where are you now?**

 _Orlando...I'm catching the first flight_

 **I'll try and slip out**

 _Secret passage behind the tapastry. Press the 14th rock across from the vent. Go down for 56 paces then turn left, follow that tunnel until you get to a ladder, it'll lead you out of the grounds_ I said robotically

 **Wow. You're impressive** I could practically hear him smile

 _Contact me when you land_

 **Are you sure you're okay?** His voice dripped with concern

 _I'm fine_ I snapped not wanting this conversation over the phone but I'd rather do it face to face.

 **Cool. I'll see you in the highlands Chameleon**

 _See you there Polar_ I ended the call

 **Zach POV**

Everything had been strange without Cam. It was quite. Too quite. I didn't tell the others about the mission with my mother. Knowing Grant as well as he knows me, I'm sure he figured it out...but he didn't say anything. Macey blames me for Cammie going, she doesn't admit it, but her eyes cloud with how she really feels. I was in my room lying on my bed in the room with Grant, Nick, Connor and Jonas; we were all doing our own things when Connor's phone rang...something that scared him shitless. He leapt off of his bed and marched out of the room. Anger fuelled his body. The door slammed behind him.

'Something's got his knickers in a twist' Grant commented

'That's the first time it's rung since we've been here' Jonas noted

'You don't think…' Nick began, he looked at me

'Fuck off' I snapped

'They were the only two that stayed in that room' Nick raised his arms in defense

'Maybe if we listen in…' Grant slithered off of his bed

'We can't do that to him!' Jonas exclaimed 'That's unfair, he doesn't know us'

'And we don't know him' I said. I looked at Grant who shared the same look as me. Fuck. I reached the door first and pressed my ear against the crack. Jonas was fiddling with one of the small microphones which he managed to hook to the other side of the door. Soon the conversation came through

 _I'll try and slip out_ (Pause)

 _Wow. You're impressive_ (Pause)

 _Are you sure you're okay?_ (Pause)

 _Cool. I'll see you in the highlands Chameleon_

My fists clenched into balls. Cam got in contact. And she talked to Connor. And he was going to _slip out_ to meet her. Everyone went back to their beds when we heard movement. I threw my pillow across the room. Connor came back in as I did this. He looked at me.

'Dude, you alright?'

'I'm fine' I snapped going to retrieve my pillow. I then slammed it down on my bed. 'I'm going to see the girls'

'Want us to come?' Grant asked

'Nah, it's okay' I nodded at him. It was my turn to slam the door.

I made it to the girls room, I knocked once. Bex opened.

'What's pissed you off?' She rolled her eyes. I chuckled but moved passed her. My eyes fell on Cam's perfectly made bed, it clearly hadn't been touched by the girls.

'Has Cam been in contact?' I asked. All the girls looked at each other

'No' They all said. I ran my hand through my hair.

'Shit' I muttered

'Has she been in contact with you?' Liz asked

'Not me. Connor'

'Seriously?' Bex laughed

'He said that he'd _slip out_ and that he'd see her _in the highlands Chameleon_ '

'Scotland' Bex answered instantly 'Cam went to the UK for three weeks, they probably went to Scotland'

'Why?' Macey asked

'They were looking for Matthew' I realised

'But why is he back _now_?' Liz asked

'Cam revisited her past over the summer, maybe she found something that grabbed his attention' Macey shrugged

'Matthew was already gone when Penny died, he wouldn't have known about it' I raised my hands in frustration.

'The only person that knows is in your room Zach. He knows more about Cam at this point then any of us do' Her voice broke slightly as she spoke the words all of us were afraid to admit. 'We need to follow him'

'Or get there ahead of him' Macey began to smile

'How?' Liz asked. Macey rolled her eyes

'One: I own a private yet. Two: We know he's going to Scotland. And Three: We ask the adults' She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

'Solomon and Rachel won't tell us anything' I added

'But Abby might' Bex's eyes began to twinkle

'It's a risk getting the adults involved' Liz chimed in 'They'll know _wayyyy_ more than we do. They'll tell us to wait while they get Cam'

'Hello! I have a private jet!' Macey reiterated

'Liz is right. We wait for him to go, and we follow' I summarised

'The hunt for the lock ness Chameleon begins'

 **Author's note: It feels like forever since I updated this story but it's probably only been a week. Anyway, what do you think is happening between Cam and Connor? Why was Connor so spooked when the phone rang? What is he hiding? Let me know! Next update on Saturday xxx**

 **Zachgoodet: I love my cliff hangers, you must know that by now! xxx**

 **LJ: What do you think? xxx**

 **Sneak Peak at next week:** _'I was tortured whilst you played happy families. I don't think a simple sorry_ _is enough' I began to walk past him 'And besides, I heard that too many times when they thought you were dead'_


	19. Seen Them Before

**Cam POV**

The air was crisp and cold. I'm thankful that I managed to get a coat from my bag, I wrapped it tightly across my body, not being prepared for this change in weather. I managed to make the flight, how could I not? I need to know now...know what? That I'm not sure of. But I'll find answers, I guess. I stepped out of the terminal at the airport, a sudden realisation dawned on me. _Where the fuck am I meant to go_? I had no address, no number, no money. Nothing. For once I felt like an exposed Chameleon, and an exposed Chameleon is a dead one.

'Looking for something miss?' A voice startled me. I jumped and turned to see my dad grinning at me.

'How did you know?' I asked

'Clive told me as soon as he had you in protection'

'So he's my godfather?'

'An unofficial one. He's someone I left to keep an eye on you'

'Do I have anymore I need to know about?' I teased. I meant it as a joke, but his smile that was plastered across his face vanished.

'Penny'

'Oh' Was all I could say

'I heard about what happened with Jason-'

'You don't know anything about what happened' I snapped, anger boiling

'I'm sorry you had to go through it' He snapped back

'I was tortured whilst you played happy families. I don't think a simple _sorry_ is enough' I began to walk past him 'And besides, I heard that too many times when they thought you were dead'

'They declared me MIA' My dad said as he came next to me. I stopped and stared at him

'I found you grave. Catherine showed me a slab of stone where she said she buried you. She did it to torture me for names, names that were on the list from the fair, when that woman dropped the note? Yeah, I somehow remembered them. Then I lost my memory and spent the next year trying to get it back, I didn't know who I was or what I was going to find. Catherine never stopped. We all believed that you were dead, and the second time around, I heard _sorry_ too many times. And the people that say _sorry_ think that it's magically making everything better, but it's not. Every time someone says _sorry,_ it's just a stupid apology that no one means. Yes they declared you MIA, but did you know it practically _killed_ me and mom? Do you know how many nights I heard her cry? How many times I say something, or do something and she looks at me as if she's seeing a ghost...as if she's seeing you? You may have _heard_ about what happened, but you don't know what _really happened_. So next time, just keep your mouth shut' I stormed off in front of him

'You definately have your mother's fiery spirit' He chuckled a few steps behind me. I didn't say anything more. I just kept walking until he fell into step with me, without words we managed to move through the airport to a car than was waiting for us. It was a family car.

'Yours?' I asked.

'Yep' He popped the 'p' and moved towards the left hand side of the car. I got in the passanger side and shut the door. We didn't talk anymore until we got to a large detached property, with bushes lining the exterior or the driveway. 'Home sweet home' My dad announced

' _Your home_. Mine's Gallagher' I muttered bluntly, part of me hoped he hadn't heard it, but who am I kidding? He's a trained spy! Of course he heard!

We pulled up at the side of the house. He turned the engine off and then got out. I followed. As he moved along the gravel to the front of the house, I could tell something was lingering on his mind. I was right because he stopped and looked back at me.

'Be polite, be sensible, be humble, don't swear, and don't break anything' He stated

'Aww, I missed the days you would tell me what to do. How many years ago was that?' I smirked

'Enough Cameron' He hissed.

'Do they know who you really are?' I asked. He took a deep breath

'Monique knows this life too well. Georgia doesn't have a clue' He admitted

'So to her' I gestured towards the house 'you're normal?'

'And you will act like a girl who's been at the Gallagher Academy because you are extremely intelligent'

'I'm not going to lie about who I am' I argued back

'You will do as I say, I am your father'

'You're the sperm donor! Joe has been more a father than you could ever be' I snapped back. My father seemed taken aback by my tone. My father stared at me for a moment, looking at me in a new light. The little girl that no longer believed in fairy tales or princesses. The little girl who is no longer scared of monsters as she's seen too much of reality. The little girl that grew up. 'I'm not the same girl that you left, I'm far more broken. Stop trying to fix me together when all you're doing is breaking me more'

'So what do you want me to do?' He asked

'Give it to me like a mission' I answered

'Cameron…' He sighed

'It's the only way it'll work for us both'

'Fine' He agreed 'Your mission is to act like a normal teenage girl who is coming to stay with her father abroad with his partner and daughter-'

'Step-daughter' I interupted. My dad furrowed his brows

' _Fine_ , step-daughter. Is that okay?'

'I guess' I rolled my eyes as the front door opened. Out came blur of brown hair running freely against the white exterior of the house.

'DAD!' the girl said, she immedietly hugged my dad. My stomach lurched.

'Hey kiddo' he ruffled her hair

'You aren't allowed to call her that' I couldn't help myself from blurting out. Dad gave me a confused look. 'Mom calls me that. Did you forget?' I couldn't hide the hurt from my voice.

'Is this Cameron?' Georgia asked looking up at my dad

'I am' I put on a big fake smile. The little girl left my dad's side and came close to me. My breath caught in my throat when I looked into her eyes. I've seen them before. A perfect shade of hazel with specks of green in them.

'Hello' She smiled

'Hello' I spoke as calmly as possible

'I have a feeling we'll get on really well'

'So do I' I muttered. She seemed satisfied with my answer so she skipped of back into the house. My dad was about to go it when I muttered into the wind ' _Dance to close to the flame, and you'll get burnt_ '

 **Author's note: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH where had Cam seen those eyes before? What does this mean? Will the others get there before anything bad happens? Sneek Peak:** _'How would you know that?' I teased_

'We're Gallagher Girls' They all rolled their eyes

 _'We kinda know our shit' Bex added. I rolled my eyes and picked up my rucksack from the side of my bed_ **Next update on Saturday xxx**

 **Zachgoodet: I think Connor and Cam know more than they're telling each other...thinks are about to get _very_ interesting! I'd absolutely love to read your story! If you want me to check over it or want some idea feedback, don't be afraid to PM me, I'd be more than happy to help! xxx**

 **MaddieL16: Are you 100% sure? Hm...I wonder what will happen when they are left alone with one another...xxx**

 **Ineedaname: Glad you like it xxx**

 **MusicManipulator: Always xxx**

 **LJ: Why do you think Cam contacted Connor before anyone else? What does she know? What does Cam _think_ he knows? xxx**

 **ashley. chavez: I'm glad you like this story! The shooter will be revealed soon...although it might not be who you think it was...xxx**

 **XanderInkWaster: Thank you very much! xxx**


	20. A Complication

**Cam POV**

My father froze. His whole body tense. I know that I was dancing too close to the flame, and I was going to get burnt, but I needed the truth. And I needed it now.

'Georgia Embers?' I asked. My father spun around, his whole face full of fear. His whole body radiating in nerves.

'How did you know tha-'

'Spy' I pointed to myself, it reminded me of Zach. My heart hurt. I wish he was here, he would know what to do. 'You had a mission in the alps, your whole team was killed. The head camera footage survived, it get's used in training exercises'

'I never mentioned Embers' He pointed out

'You didn't have to. I know Connor. He had the same eyes as Georgia' I paused 'So what happened? You decided that you loved Monique more than you loved mom? So you thought that you'd bring up someone else's kid before your own?'

'THAT'S NOT TRUE' He boomed 'THE BODY YOU FOUND WAS WILL'S! HE DIED INSTEAD OF ME AND I COULDN'T LEAVE MONIQUE WITHOUT HELP! I WAS BEING A GOOD FRIEND'

'BUT WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! CONNOR THINKS HIS DAD IS STILL ALIVE AND HE'S COMING HERE TO FIND ANSWERS!' I shouted back

'What have you done Cameron?' He whispered.

'Like you said; I'm being a good friend'

 **Zach POV**

Judging by my body's internal clock, I reckon it's about 2:30 in the morning. I'm laying in bed listening to Grant's loud snores and Jonas muttering something about equations in his sleep. There was a slight movement as one of the floorboards creaked. There was some more movement before the door opened and closed.

'You awake dude?' Nick asked

'Yeah' I sat up

'I can't believe that these two actually fell asleep' Nick gestured in the dark to the others.

'Believe me, Grant is always the first to fall asleep' I got up and threw my pillow over him

'I'm awake you fool!' He hissed 'I had to snore otherwise he wouldn't think I was asleep!' He sat up and rubbed his eyes

'You sure about that buddy?' I tapped his head, he swatted my hand away.

'I'm going to tell the girls that he's gone'

'We already know that' Bex's voice floated through the now open door. All three girls stood ready and smiled at us.

'Um, excuse me' Grant covered himself with his blanket, despite being fully clothed. 'How long have you been there?'

'We saw him leave so we came right in' Macey rolled her eyes

'The door always creaks though' Nick pointed out

'Not if you rotate the handle at a 45 degree angle and then lift 2.3 cm' Liz informed

'How would you know that?' I teased

'We're Gallagher Girls' They all rolled their eyes

'We kinda know our shit' Bex added. I rolled my eyes and picked up my rucksack from the side of my bed.

'Let's go'

We crept along the corridor. Connor seemed to be distracted as he didn't check his surroundings before making his way to the tapestry. Cam's favourite passageway. Connor effortlessly pushed the stone in and went into the darkness.

'Cam told him where it was' Macey whispered

'We'll ask her when we see her' Bex snapped. We waited to be sure that Connor would disappear all the way down the corridor before we decided to follow. When we were at the other side, Connor was nowhere to be seen

'How far is your jet away?' I asked

'It's parked up and waiting for us to go'

'Then let's do this shit' Bex smiled wickedly. To Scotland we go.

.

I couldn't believe my eyes. We had landed before Connor and were ready to follow him at the airport, it was strange when I saw Cam waiting at the gate. She was standing at the railings, her denim jacket wrapped tightly around her. She kept tapping her foot and looking around. What I especially didn't like was the small smile that grew on her face when Connor came out of the double doors. He smiled as well. He walked towards her and gave her a big hug. She whispered something to him and he held her at arm's length, giving her a worried look. What were they talking about?

'I can't take this anymore' I muttered beginning to move from where I stood

'Don't' Bex hissed through the comms. I ignored her and moved towards Cam and Connor. Cam had her back to me but Connor glanced up at the right time and saw me. He must have muttered to Cam because she turned around and looked at me with a mixture of shock and anger.

'It would have been nice to have an invite as well' I snapped

'You need to leave' Cam's voice wavered

'I'm not going anywhere' I crossed my arms over my chest. Cam glared at me

'You don't understand' She snapped stepping towards me

'You're right. I don't understand Gallagher Girl, but you weren't letting any of us in yet you would trust somebody that you've only known since the beginning of the year!'

'Dude, maybe you should calm down' Connor tried to step in front of Cam

'Stay out of this' Cam and I snapped at each time.

'I was going to tell you Zach' Cam said 'But things are complicated now' She glanced back at Connor quickly

'What's the complication?' I asked

'Cameron?' A little girl came up from behind me 'I got bored waiting, what is taking so long?'

'Go back to the car Georgia' Cam snapped

'Who are these two?' She asked ignoring Cam

'This is Zach and Connor' I smiled at the girl but Connor seemed to have turned pale

'Are they coming to stay?'

'Georgia can you just leave, I need to talk to them' Cam snapped. The girl rolled her eyes and then left.

'Who's she?' I asked

'A complication' Cam muttered. She turned to Connor 'Have you worked it out?' She asked. Connor seemed to have regained colour but was now boiling with anger

'What the fuck is going on Cameron?' He hissed 'Tell me now'

 **Author's note: I'M BACK! Thank you so much for the amazing support that you have given me when I was taking my break. I can't believe that 14 years of education are now over and I have the rest of my life to live. Now, this story will be a weekly upload for now as it's getting near the end :'(. Every Wednesday upload xxx**


	21. More Than They Expect

**Cam POV**

The car ride from hell. Me. Zach. Georgia. Everyone else was bundled into the other car. No if's, but's or maybe's.

Georgia had her headphones on and seemed oblivious to the world around her. Which is a good thing for now.

I stared at the road in front of me. Gripping the steering wheel.

'Slow down' Zach mumbled

'What are you doing here?' I snapped, Zach glared at me

'When you ran away I couldn't find you, and when I got back to Gallagher...the board were talking about how you left. Then someone mentioned your father, and everything then fit into place'

'You shouldn't tread into my past Zach…' I bit my lip. Zach sensed my discomfort and placed his hand on my thigh, forming small little circles with his thumb

'I'm not going anywhere Cam' He looked at the road ahead 'That mission was something I was thrown into...If I'd have known what would have happened...who could have been there, I wouldn't have done it. I promise you that I wouldn't have done it'

'I believe you'

'Good' Zach smirked and gave me a small peck on my cheek. Making up with Zach always makes things fun.

I waited until we were all in the house we were staying in to tell them the truth. The others had come out of their hiding places and followed us to the house. We went upstairs quickly without them seeing my father. He still hasn't talked to me. Once we were all squashed in my attic room I took a deep breath.

'What do you know so far?' I asked my friends

'They don't know who the shooter is. They think it's your dad' Zach said bluntly from the door

'It wasn't him' I shook slightly

'Do you know who it was?' Connor asked. I looked at him in the eyes and saw the same mystery and uncertainly that I knew was in my eyes.

'No' I answered quietly

'We need to speak to your dad'

'Connor…' I grabbed his arm 'You won't be able to find your dad'

'What do you mean?'

'The grave Catherine showed me...was your father's. Our dad's swapped identity'

'So Catherine came after you by mistake?' Macey questioned. I looked over at Zach whose fists were clenched, his knuckles white

'Catherine still would have come after me'

'So your dad is with my mom?' Connor asked

'I guess' I wrapped my arms around my body. There was a knock at the door. Zach answered.

'Cam, dad wants to see you' Georgia said

'I'll be there in a sec' I called. Zach shut the door.

'So she's-'

'Your sister. She has the same eyes' I said bluntly

'This is all very messed up' He ran his hands through his hair

'Does this mean that you two are sort of like brother and sister?' Liz asked

'I guess' I shrugged. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zach physically relax. I stood up 'Could you all stay here...I don't want to overwhelm my dad' Everyone nodded. Connor stood up to come with me, Zach opened the door 'You coming Blackthorne Boy?' I asked

'You want me there?' He smirked

'I met your parents...might as well meet the rest of mine' I grabbed his hand and led them down the stairs. There was a small study at the front of the house where my father spent a lot of his mornings. I knocked twice.

'Come in' He called. I opened the door and saw the walls lined with various books. My father had his back to me. The door closed.

'Who's the young men?' He asked

'Connor Embers and Zachary Goode' My father span around. Mixtures of emotion filled his eyes.

'Goode? As in-'

'Yes his mother tried to kill me but I love him and whatever you say, Joe's probably already said to him, so just be nice' I said quickly. My dad just blinked back at me. There was a pause. Zach stepped out of my grasp and extended his hand to my father.

'It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Morgan' He gave a genuine smile. My father stood up and shook his hand, studying him.

'Blackthorne?' My dad asked

'Yes sir' He answered. My dad let his hand go and looked at me.

'He's an assassin Cameron' His tone was slightly warning

'You chose a Gallagher Girl. You can't talk' I quipped back.

'He's dangerous' his voice boomed

'So am I!' I snapped back 'I'm unpredictable and I do things without thinking, and right now, once again, someone wants me dead. So let's get down to business, shall we?' I saw Zack hold back a smirk next to me. Connor just stood there very confused.

'I need answers' He finally spoke up. My dad sat back in his chair and gestured for us to sit on the large leather sofa facing him.

'Will was an extraordinary man. He was one of the best spies I'd ever met...despite the fact he went to Edgemount' My dad gave a small chuckle 'We lost contact after the incident in the alps. We thought it could be best to protect our families that way...we met again when we were captured by the circle. After we both discovered the plan, we tried to escape, but Will...He decided to stay. He knew that one of us had to die and he choose himself to...When I contacted Monique to tell her; she said she was pregnant, a girl. And there were complications…'

'Complications how?' Connor asked looking at me

'Maybe you should go Zach' I whispered. Zach nodded and left the room.

'The birth was difficult. Georgia was born too early and Monique was too weak. She's been in intensive care ever since, I promised her that I would raise Georgia while she was getting better...but months turned into years and I lost myself' He didn't look at us the whole time. He stared at his hands as if looking back in time. I could feel my body getting hotter and my head feeling lighter.

'My father's dead' Connor said slowly

'I'm sorry' My dad said

'No' Connor said dryly. He then tilted his head to face me 'How long have you known?' He said

'This morning' I whispered 'I'm sorry Connor' I went to reach for him but he bolted to the door

'Leave him' My dad said.

'You don't know him' I snapped

'It appears that neither do you' He raised his eyebrows at me 'Be careful Cameron. You know from past experiences that Edgemount boys have more to them than they expect'

 **Author's note: So what do you think of this chapter? Zach finally met Cameron's father and we finally know why Cam's dad never came back. Sad times, but what will happen next? Find out next Wednesday xxx**

 **Zachgoodet: Glad you enjoyed that I've back :) xxx**

 **Ineedaname: It's good to hear from you again! Make sure you read the rest of my updates xxx**

 **AllyCarterFan: Glad that you have enjoyed re-reading them! If you've got any questions or are still muddled, let me know :). See you soon xxx**


	22. Everything Of Hope

**Cam POV**

'Where'd Connor go?' I asked coming out of the office

'He said he was going for a walk' Bex said putting a grape in her mouth

'What happened after I left?' Zach asked

'Monique is ill...really ill' I muttered 'My dad stayed to help Georgia'

'So he didn't leave you alone'

'He helped someone else' I said confidently

'Cameron?' I turned at my name to see Georgia bouncing down the stairs 'Can you take me?' She asked nervously not trying to look at the others

'Sure Georgia, I'll be ready in a bit' I gave a sad smile. Georgia nodded and moved off into the other room.

'Where are you going?' Bex asked

'Hospital' I sighed 'We're going to see her mom'

'Do you want us to come with you?' Zach asked

'No, it's okay' I gave a small smile 'It's kinda personal'

'We'll keep your dad company' Macey said

'Don't kill him' I warned

'Everything will be standing when you get back Cam' Zach reassured me planting a kiss on my forehead. I smiled

'Georgia I'm ready!'

'Coming!'

.

'Do you hate your dad?' She asked after silence had plagued the car for a good 10 minutes

'I don't hate him. I just...miss him'

'I heard the conversation you had with him...he's not my real dad, is he?'

'Georgia' I began 'He might not be your _real_ dad, but he's still your dad. He was there when no one else was. Don't take it as a bad thing. Some people go most of their life without a dad' My thoughts were drawn to Zach, myself and Connor. All of us losing our fathers in some way at some stage.

'It would have been nice to have a sister like you' She smiled at me. I smiled back. Do I turn her world upside down even more? Do I tell her about Connor?

'Listen, Georgia…' I looked over at her and saw everything of innocents, everything of hope was still there. I couldn't ruin it again. 'Do you want me to come in with you?' I asked

'No' She shook her head 'I like spending time with mom alone' She gave a sad smile. We didn't say anything for the rest of the journey.

.

'What are you doing here?' I asked when we got close to the room. Connor was staring through the door that belonged to Monique, he looked like he spent the last several minutes debating about whether or not to go in, but decided not to. Connor just looked at me.

'I'll wait out here for you Georgia' I patted her shoulder and she walked into the room without any hesitation.

'I can't believe it' Connor muttered

'I know' I whispered

'No you don't' He snapped at me 'You know _nothing_ '

'You aren't the first person to say that to me' I smirked

'I still need your help' Connor said stepping forward

'Doing what?'

'I need you to wipe some records for me'

'Why would I do that?' I raised my eyebrows at you 'You don't have any leverage on me'

'Please Cam' He pleaded 'Don't make me use force'

'I'd like to see you try' I smirked. I guess I shouldn't of, because there was a needle pressed into my neck and my body fell into his arms

'I'm sorry buttercup'

.

'Ow' I groaned trying to sit up but my head hit something metal

'Careful' Connor chuckled, he walked over to me, I crawled back slightly 'I'm not going to hurt you Cam'

'Yet you drugged me?'

'You weren't going to help me if I didn't'

'What do you want Connor?' I asked. He tilted his head to the side

'I need you to wipe some records from databases. FBI specifically' I raised my eyebrows at his statement.

'What did you do?' I asked

'You know that answer' He sighed stepping back slightly

'I know you fired that shot. You shot Hannah'

'And you shot Penny, guess we're both evil'

'I DIDN'T KILL PENNY' I screamed

'Whatever helps you sleep at night buttercup' He sighed

'Why do you call me that?' I asked, a small shiver down my spine. He smirked at my stupidity. Then it hit me

'You were friends with Jason _and_ Toby'

'Bingo' He exclaimed to the empty room

'So what, you helped Toby sell sensitive information?'

'Right again' He smiled

'Are you going to kill me? Like you did with those other girls?' I asked, my voice didn't break

'No Cam. I didn't _want_ to kill them. I was given a profile of a girl of your description, I was ordered to find you.' He shrugged 'some of the girls just got in the way...then I met Jason at Edgemount, and everything fit into place' he came closer to me 'I want you to help me and then you'll never see me again'

'Don't lie' I snapped 'My father is raising your sister. We're practically family'

'And families help each other' He stepped towards me 'This has been a lie I've kept for a long time, and I need someone to help me'

'Why me?'

'Why not?' He teased. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything. I was stuck. 'You'll be a hero if you do this Cam'

'I'll be a criminal' I snapped. Connor let out a low dry laugh and crouched down to my level

'You should have thought about that before you killed Penny'

'I DIDN'T KILL HER' I screamed.

'Good to know' He nodded and went towards the door

'Who has your number?' I asked randomly, his hand on the door froze. He had his back to me still. 'You said that three people knew your number...who are they?' I asked, almost afraid of the answer

'Mom, Jason, you…'

'I made number four. Who is the other person?' Connor turned towards me, his eyes were unreadable.

'Catherine' the name rolled off of his tongue like it was something to be admired. I gasped

'You...you were part of the circle?' I whispered

'They recruited us early-'

'Us?'

'Toby, Jason, Me' He smiled 'I'm surprised you didn't work it out by now...isn't that why Solomon told you to watch me? Not to trust me?'

'Why doesn't Zach know about you? He was in the circle, Catherine was his mom!'

'Oh Zach knowns. She just gave him a different mission'

'What?' I whispered

'You'

'You're lying. Zach would never hurt me' I snapped

'Are you sure? Maybe not physically, but emotionally?' He tilted his head to the side again 'How many hours did you think about him Cam? The kiss at the bottom of the staircase, Boston, the train, _everywhere_...how many times have you doubted him? How many times have you believed his lies? How many times has he seen through _your lies_? You wanna know why?'

'Somebody knows' I whispered echoing the words that Zach had told me over and over again 'Somebody always knows'

'And Zach has always known'

'I'll do it' I snapped 'I'll wipe your record and then you leave me the hell alone'

'Deal'

 **Author's note: ohhhhh shit's getting serious! And the story's coming to an end soon. Will Cam wipe Connor's record, or will she find something that she regrets seeing. See you next Wednesday xxx**

 **Zachgoodet: I agree xxx**

 **Ineedaname: I know! I thought that Zach having to meet Matthew would have been funny xxx**


	23. The Job Would Be Done

**Zach POV**

'Where's Cameron?' Matthew asked

'She took Georgia to the hospital' Bex answered

'They should have been back by now'

'Does Cam have her phone on her?' I asked

'No' Macey shook her head

'Do we know where Connor is?'

'No' Grant said

'Something's wrong' Bex said

'We need to get to the hospital now' Matthew's voice boomed

As we all bundled into the cars that we had, I decided to ride with Matthew in his car alongside Bex and Macey. Matthew was racing through the streets of Scotland, taking the corners sharply, narrowing missing pedestrians and other cars.

'I had a bad feeling about him' He exclaimed at one point

'Why?' We all asked

'Will was always a bit gun happy' He veered around a corner 'And Edgemount doesn't have the cleanest record'

'I thought all their graduates went into the FBI?' Bex asked

'Most become field agents, some pencil pushers, others are actually _in_ the FBI being detained'

'Was Connor detained?' I asked

'No. But he was close with Jason and Toby'

'WHAT' We all exclaimed

'Would you believe it if I said that Toby was the most calm and rational out of them all?' He said light heartedly

'Toby's dead' Macey gave a shiver, 'He took a bullet for Cam' Matthew sighed

'Toby never wanted Cam to get hurt in this'

'How do you know about him?' I asked. The tension in the car rose

'Growing up with that family, Toby always took precautions to make sure Cam was safe. What he didn't realise was that Cammie _loved_ the idea of danger and _loved_ putting herself into it' He gave a small laugh 'She's just like my in that respect'

.

When we got to the hospital, Matthew guided us up to the ward that Monique was staying in, sitting in the corridor, swinging her legs was Georgia, looking absolutely sad.

'Gi, are you okay?' Matthew asked. She nodded staring at the door in front of her. 'What's up?'

'They um...they had to take her in for more testings...she felt tired. I was told to leave but Cam wasn't here...I don't know where she is' Georgia began to cry, small tears streaming down her face.

'Do you know where she went?' I asked

'Connor was here when we arrived. They were talking about something serious'

'Was there anything that he said or that she said that stood out to you?'

'I don't know' She whimpered

'It's alright Georgia' Matthew comforted 'We'll find her'

'We have no lead. We have no clue as to how he thinks or what his motive is!' Bx bellowed

'We do' Matthew said 'But we need to call in some reinforcements'

 **Cam POV**

When I think back to when I found out my father was alive, I did not expect to be where I am, right now. I'm about to commit my first felony. I'm about to hack into the FBI database to clean Connor's record so that he can continue being a private assassin...I can't. I have gained and lost too much to just throw it all away. Therefore, my only solution is to once again run.

I've probably been here for at least a few hours, listening to the slow monotonous drip, drip of the tap. The room was probably once used for storage, the broken wooden shelves had rotted away, giving the room a slightly damp smell. It had taken me forever to open my cuffs up. I waited for the generator to shut off (as it has done almost every 30 minutes for only 5 minutes) I needed to move fast.

I moved swiftly towards the door, listening to see if there were any footsteps lingering outside. I turned the door handle but jumped back, screaming in pain. I clutched my throbbing hand as Connor strolled into the room. As the door opened, I could see that the other side to the door handle was attached to pliers and an electric generator. Connor wanted to keep me here.

'Nice try Buttercup' He knelt down to my level, my hand throbbing and blistering 'I knew you were going to try and run; so I decided to have an insurance policy'

'You could have killed me' I snapped

'If I wanted to, I would have done so already'

'Let me go Connor. This isn't going to work for anyone. You won't get away with this…'

'No one knows where you are Cameron' He tried to reach for me and I flinched away 'They probably don't even know that you're missing'

'They'll know' I snapped

'And by then, the job would be done' He smiled, his eyes shifted down to my hand 'I'll get you some ice' He walked away pulling the door shut with his foot. Leaving me once again, alone.

'Please find me' I pleaded to the air 'Please'

 **Author's note: Ohhhhhhhhhhh what's going to happen now! Not long to go before the end of this story! Two chapters left! xxx**

 **: Thank you so much! xxx**

 **Zachgoodet: Haha, I love that! I've met a few Josh's and they seem really nice. Hope you enjoy it! xxx**


	24. Lasted Longer

**Bex POV**

'When will the reinforcements arrive?' Macey asked

'Any moment now' Zach said

'You are going to get absolutely _killed_ ' I said to Matthew

'We are doing this for Cameron, we will sort the other issues out later'

'Delaying it will only make it worse' The doorbell rung 'Cue the funeral march' I opened the door and Rachel burst part me, she marched right up to Matthew and punched him right across the face.

'She lasted longer than I thought' Abby muttered as she came through the door swinging her sunglasses around

'Hey kids' She waved at us

'YOU LYING FUCKING BASTARD' Rachel screamed

'Weather's nice' Abby slide in

'Nice to see you too Rachel' Matthew said rubbing his jaw

'You had no right. No fucking right to take Cameron away from me'

'She needed answers, I invited her over'

'You have no right to tell her what to do! You were barely a parent to her'

'I'm still her father'

'No you aren't' Joe said from the doorway, he had crept in and I hadn't noticed.

'I thought you were going to wait outside' Abby raised her eyebrow

'Cameron has learnt more from those around her than she ever could have done from you' He acted like he hadn't heard Abby, he came and stood next to Rachel, his hand resting on her back. Matthew glanced down and then back up.

'She was taken by Connor Embers'

'We asked Cameron to watch him' Abby said 'We knew his name' She looked at Matthew 'And his back story'

'So why did Cameron watch him?'

'He know Jason and Toby'

'And you let her do this without _us_ knowing?'

'Cameron had the closest connection to them. She would see if something was wrong'

'CLEARLY SOMETHING WAS WRONG!' I shouted

'SHUT UP' Liz shouted. When we all looked at her she began to grow slightly red in colour. She help her chin up and adjusted her glasses. 'I think I know where Cammie might be'

'Where?'

'The hospital'

'We looked there Liz' Zach said 'She wasn't there'

'I've reviewed ever single CCTV footage the hospital has over every floor. Cammie didn't exit the building. And Connor is bad at avoiding cameras' She turned her computer around and we saw Connor strolling down the corridor pushing Cameron in a chair. If anyone walked past them, it just looked like a boy taking care of a girl.

'Which part of the hospital are they in?'

'Basement'

'That's where they keep all the chemicals and extra equipment' Matthew informed us

'Enough chemicals to create a bomb' Liz muttered

'I won't let that happen again' Zach snapped

'What's so special about Edgemount?' I asked the adults

'They aim to work for the FBI' Abbie said

'But what areas?' I pressed

'Forensics, espionage, surveillance, counter surveillance and-' Joe cut himself off and looked at Matthew

'And what?' Macey said

'Warfare tactics' He said regrettably

'Liz, break into Edgemount database'

'Already on it'

'There are nothing in those files Rebecca' Rachel placed her hand on my shoulder 'We've scanned those files with a fine tooth comb, there is nothing there'

'There is' I told her 'There has to be'

'I've crossed referenced Jason, Toby and Connor's files. There aren't many correlations but they were all members of the _coteries'_

'What does that mean?' Grant asked

'People with similar interests' Abbie said

'Like a friendship circle' he nodded.

'GRANT!' Zach and I shouted

'What?' He looked at us dumbfounded

'They were all members of the _circle_ ' I explained slowly, meanwhile Zach punched a wall

'Why does my mother never give up!' He humphed

'I think we're missing the bigger picture' Macey said, we all looked at her

'Cam's back in the hands of the Circle, and this time, they won't back down'

 **Cam POV**

Connor gave me the laptop, he stood by me whilst I was beginning to hack into the FBI database. I remembered all the skills that Liz has taught me and Connor managed to fill in some of the blank codes that I needed.

'How do you know these?' I asked

'Jason' He said simply. I nodded and then continued to crack the code. 'I'll be back in a bit'

He left the room at one of the most crucial parts of what I was doing. I managed to speed up the process and was able to gain access.

'Here we go' Before I found his file, there was one in particular that I wanted to find. Penny's. This was going to end today. I would finally be able to know if I killed her or not, I would see what the official report had said and either be relieved or...the same.

 **Mission Report**

 **Deceased: Penny Karlton**

 **A singular bullet penetrating the chest directly over the heart. Died instantaneously.**

 **Witnesses: Jason Karlton, Cameron Morgan**

I clicked on my name. It was a complete profile of me. My time at Gallagher, all of my mission reports (and the trouble I caused). Then there was a report that was flagged, it was my account about what happened that day.

 **Witness Cameron Ann Morgan was interviewed following the incident. Miss Morgan was visibly distressed and she had been given a blanket, how she received the blanket is unknown. She was not in the condition to answer many questions. The conversation went as followed:**

' **Hello Miss Morgan. I'm an invetigator from the FBI and I would like to ask you a few questions?' She nodded 'Would you like to follow me?' She nodded again and she was led 10 metres away from her previous position to get away from the noise. She sat down. 'Miss Morgan, can you tell me what happened today?' She did not speak but began to rock 'Miss Morgan?'**

' **I don't know'**

' **Do you remember any detail?'**

' **She's dead'**

' **What happened?' I asked once again. I realised that she was holding a buttercup. The FBI are investigating where the flower may have come from to backup Cameron's story to back up her case.**

' **I don't know'**

' **Any detail at all?'**

' **I screamed when I saw the body lying there'**

' **What were you doing there?'**

' **I was picking these when I heard the shot. I went to see if I could help'**

' **Why would you go to help?' Once I asked this, Cameron stopped rocking and looked at me. There was a distance in her eyes.**

' **Because I couldn't help my father'**

' **I'm sorry for your loss. Matthew was a good man'**

 **End on interview. I conclude that Cameron at this moment in time is distressed and unable to think logically. It is not clear where she was when she when the gunshot went off and her story does not completely match the other witness. More investigation would be needed.**

I scrolled down further and looked at what the concluded.

 **Investigation status: Unsolved, reopened by Mr Arthur Karlton on behalf of an external source. Approved by the FBI.**

 **Prime Suspect: Cameron Ann Morgan**

.

 **Author's note: I absolutely love Abby's reaction! So Cam finally gets to know what happened, but the investigation is now reopened, and with one chapter left, what will happen? Find out next week for the final Chapter xxx**

 **Ineedaname: Last one next week! At least Cam knows more than she did before...although I don't know if being the Prime Suspect will help her... xxx**

 **: Glad you are enjoying it xxx**


	25. Angel

**Author's note: As tradition, reviews are up here. Thank you for the continual support, so here is the end chapter xxx**

 **Ineedaname: So Am I! xxx**

 **Cam will be back! She will be back in 3 new stories which will be uploaded soon; _Twisted Fate, An Inside Job_ and _Selling Our Soul_.**

* * *

 **Cam POV**

'How's it going?' Connor asked 'Cameron?'

'Did you know about this?' I asked

'What?'

'The investigation into Penny's death, it was reopened and I'm the main suspect'

'You were meant to remove my file' He gripped my arm and turned me to face him.

'Why is the investigation open?'

'I don't know'

I needed to get out of here, I needed to find answers

'I can't help you' I snapped 'I need to help myself first' So I grabbed the drink in one of his hands and squirted it all over the computer

'NOOOO' Connor shouted throwing me to the side. I hit the wall and landed on a metal pipe. Pain shot through my arm. 'What did you do?' He snapped

'If I'm going down, you're coming down with me' I smirked

'You're twisted' He hissed. And you know what? I laughed. I laughed a deep belly laugh that ached my sides. I could feel it echoing around me. 'Forget twisted, you're insane!'

'Hahahahahaha' I continued

'This is finishing now' He snapped. Before he grabbed my hand ready to pull me up but I slid out of his grasp and kicked him in the stomach. He shot backwards and I began to crawl towards the door, standing up and moving towards off again.

'CAMERON' He shouted from behind me. I realised I didn't know which way I needed to go. The corridors all seemed the same and they all merged into one. I could hear footsteps getting louder so I hit behind a cart. 'Come out, come out wherever you are' Connor stalked along the corridor looking at every place I could hide. He reached for his gun in the back pocket, it was an 3D printed one so it would have moved through security very easily.

I stayed silent.

'Cameron' Zach came around the corner and Connor turned on him, he fired one shot and Zach dived for cover.

'No' I shouted getting out of my hiding place and tackled Connor to the ground from behind. We wrestled on the floor as more cries of 'Cameron' came from the approaching figures. Connor and I were wrestling over the gun, the trigger was so close to both of our fingers, just like before. Just like Penny. The laugh, the shot followed by the scream. I could see that my family were getting closer. Their gun's trying to get a clear shot, but we were rolling around, it would have been too hard.

'You won't get away with this' Connor hissed

'Neither will you'

Then there was a gunshot. I felt cold and damp around my stomach area. Then another shot went off. Everything went still for a moment. I stared into Connor's eyes and he stared into mine. Somehow I managed to roll him off of me and we were both gasping for air. We were both shot.

'Cam' Zach skidded in front of me, his hands immediately on my stomach 'You need to breath okay?' His voice was cracking

'I killed Penny' I whispered

'You didn't kiddo' Rachel said coming next to me

'The. Investigation' I whimpered 'It was reopened. I'm the main suspect'

'Don't do this to yourself' Joe said coming to hold my hand, he felt my pulse and I could see the change of look in his eyes. I was going to die.

'Connor was part of the circle. He wanted me to wipe his record'

'Shhh sweetie' my mom soothed 'It's time to rest'

'Is he-'

'Don't worry about him. We need to focus on you'

'I'm sorry' I whispered again, my head becoming heavy and my vision blurry

'Gallagher girl' Zach planted a kiss on my forehead 'Everything will be okay, I'll be okay'

'I don't want to die' I cried

'We're with you the whole time. We're not going anywhere' My mom's tears fell from her face and landed on mine.

'Cammie, close your eyes' Dad said

'Now is not the time' Abby snapped

'Trust me' He said. I gave him a weak nod and closed my eyes.

'Imagine you are at Gallagher, you are floating down the corridor, past Gillain's sword and you come to the top of the Grand staircase. You look over and everyone you love is waiting for you. What do you want to do Cammie?'

'I want to sleep'

'Then you can'

 **Zach POV**

I watched as Cam's body became limp. Her breathing slowed down and eventually stopped. Her skin began to lose it's colour as the blood stopped flowing.

'Why did you tell her that story?' Bex cried, throwing a punch on Matthew, he didn't flinch.

'If Cameron wanted to walk down the stairs, she wanted to fight' Joe said numbly

'It's a technique operatives use in the field to see if they want to survive or not' Matthew added

'And squirt was done fighting' Abby engulphed Rachel into a hug to silence her sobs

'This is unfair' Bex kicked Connor's body, he was still fighting for life, only just.

'Zach' Joe warned 'Put the gun down' I glanced at my hand, instead of holding Cammie's, I had grabbed the gun. And it was aimed at Connor.

'Do it' Connor muttered. I clicked the barrel and placed it directly on his temple 'Kill me like you killed all the others' I smirked at him

'You are going to pay for everything you've done' I spat.

'Put the gun down' Cammie's voice echoed in my ear. 'Don't do this Zach. There is another way that this can be done' I could imagine her hand resting on mine, her wide eyes willing me to listen to her. 'Don't' she repeated again. So I didn't. I put the gun down, it clattered on the marble tiles. I stood up and walked away. No one else followed me. When the elevator doors slid open, I saw Cam leaning on the wall; she had a slight glow about her, almost angelic. Heaven gained another angel, and I guess she's sticking around me for a while.

 **The End**


End file.
